The Philippines is expected to import less rice, as it focuses on the local production of the staple, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday. The DA’s statement came after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that the Philippines has overtaken China as the world’s
The Philippines is expected to import less rice, as it focuses on the local production of the staple, the Department of Agriculture said Thursday.
The USDA, in its latest “Grain: World Markets and Trade” report, projected that the Philippine rice importation will hit 3.8 million metric tons in marketing year 2023-2034, while China’s imports will drop to 3.5 MMT. “We expect to import much less than USDA’s 3.8 MMT projected rice import in 2023. This indicates that the volume we imported in 2022 was much more than the deficit,” Sebastian said
Sebastian, in a Laging Handa briefing on Aug. 2, said the Philippines has a sufficient supply of rice, stressing that it is “more than enough” for the next few months.