FARMING MADE EASY | In this photo taken in January, a farmer in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, uses a tractor to prepare his land for planting rice. Farmers in the province now use machines and
modern equipment provided by the government to increase the speed and efficiency of farm operations. (Photo by WILLIE LOMIBAO / Inquirer Northern Luzon)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has enough rice to meet the daily needs of Filipinos for the third quarter of 2023 despite the rising prices of the country’s staple food, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Undersecretary Leo Sebastian said in a statement that there was a 6 percent production increase from January to June, based on the Philippine Rice Information System.
Palay production would thus reach 8.605 million metric tons (MT) in 2023, equivalent to 5.6 million MT of milled rice, higher than the 8.153 million MT in 2022.
According to him, this volume, plus the carry-over stock of 1.8 million MT and augmented by the importation of 1.8 million MT would be enough to meet the demand and consumption of seven million MT from January to June.
Rice prices in Metro Manila, however, increased by about P2 per kilogram but Sebastian said this was due to the high cost of production locally and globally. “We expect this to stabilize,” he said.