To provide additional room for the country as the threat of the strong episode of the weather phenomenon looms.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), it will not suspend rice imports in the remaining months of the year.
Instead, it will move to “prioritize food security over market intervention” as the country braces for a strong El Niño episode, which is seen to lower domestic production and tighten rice supplies ahead of the dry season harvest in early 2027.
Latest projections suggest a potential decline of palay output by as much as 750,000 metric tons as a result of this El Niño.
The decision marks a shift from last year, when the DA temporarily halted rice imports from September to December to support farmgate prices during the main harvest.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., noted that maintaining adequate stocks will outweigh the benefits of restricting imports, given the heightened weather risks expected toward the end of the year.
“As of August 3, rice imports have reached 3.3 million metric tons. Unlike last year, we will not suspend imports because we have to prepare for the impact of a strong El Niño expected around November and December,” said Tiu Laurel.
For him, the DA’s main responsibility is to ensure the country has enough buffer stocks before the next harvest.
Tiu Laurel also shared that last year’s four-month suspension of rice imports contributed to improved market conditions.
Tiu Laurel also said the National Food Authority (NFA) has been directed to step up palay procurement to cushion farmers from lower prices and sustain planting intentions in the face of the threat from El Niño.
Around 500,000 metric tons is being targeted by the agency to purchase from farmers during the wet season, with the minimum prices P21 per kilo for wet palay and P25 to P27 per kilo for dry palay.
The NFA’s procurement budget was also increased to PHP14 billion in 2026, up from the PHP9 billion in 2025.
“We are clearing space now so procurement can accelerate as the harvest begins later this month,” he furthered, noting warehouses are now nearly half empty as milling activity gathers pace.
The Agriculture Chief also noted that the Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! program, which provides target beneficiaries such as indigents, single parents, senior citizens and persons with disabilities access to P20 per kilo from NFA inventories, also saw its sales increase.
Moreover, the DA, through its KADIWA ng Pangulo program, aims to double to 40,000 metric tons a month the volume of rice sold through the said initiative.
The agriculture chief also plans to meet with rice millers to discuss what he described as a fair pricing structure across the supply chain.
“We want a market where farmers receive fair compensation, millers and traders operate sustainably, and consumers continue to enjoy reasonably priced rice,” he said.
STRONG PALAY HARVEST
Meanwhile, the agriculture department, citing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), also reported that the country saw strong harvest of palay in the second quarter of the year — with production climbing 5.7 percent year on year to a record 4.63 million metric tons from April to June 2026.
That is the highest second-quarter output since comparable records began in 1987.
“The increase was driven largely by a 6.5 percent expansion in harvested area to a record 1.04 million hectares, reflecting favorable growing conditions, continued government support, and improved market conditions that encouraged farmers to plant more land,” shared the DA.
Despite a slight 0.7 percent decline in average yield from 4.50 to 4.47 metric tons per hectare, overall production reached a record high because of the increase in harvested area, further shared the department.
The department also noted that this strong performance provides additional room to prepare for the expected impacts of El Niño in the coming months, while they also shift their focus toward sustaining production through the next planting season.
The agriculture chief also said that the agency is applying lessons from the 2024 El Niño and has shifted its strategy from crisis response to early preparation.
The strong second-quarter performance also helped offset the weaker first-quarter harvest, keeping first-semester palay production, which is at around 9 million metric tons. It also provides a stronger foundation for the second half of the year.
Based on standing crops as of July 1, the PSA projects third-quarter palay production at 3.25 million metric tons, down 13.3 percent from 3.75 million metric tons a year earlier.
While the estimate reflects crops already established at the time of assessment, the DA continues to closely monitor succeeding planting areas through field validation and remote sensing as weather conditions evolve.
Initial field reports, however, indicate that delayed planting in some areas, due to the late onset of rains and delays in irrigation water delivery, may affect production.
To manage these risks, the DA is also adopting a more flexible supply management strategy that balances continued support for domestic production with timely rice import arrivals.
“Food security means being proactive. We must keep farmers planting despite higher costs and the threat of El Niño,” Tiu Laurel also emphasized.
