The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday announced that the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for imported rice will remain in effect during the planned two-month rice import suspension beginning September 1.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized the policy’s significance, saying that the DA will closely monitor supply and pricing behavior among stakeholders to ensure market discipline throughout the ban. The MSRP for 5 percent broken imported rice, reduced to ₱43 per kilo in July, will continue to apply.
The suspension, aimed at protecting local farmers amid plummeting palay prices—reportedly as low as ₱8 per kilo, below production costs—may be adjusted based on price trends and the outcomes of the upcoming harvest.
Specialty rice varieties such as Japanese, black, and basmati rice are exempt from the ban. From January to July, imported rice volumes reached over 2.44 million metric tons, with another 300,000 MT pending clearance.
The DA stressed that maintaining the MSRP during the suspension period is part of a broader strategy to stabilize rice prices while safeguarding the livelihoods of around 3 million local rice farmers.
