The total volume of rice the Philippines will import in the first quarter is likely to be significantly lower compared to the same period in 2024, as local farmers begin the harvest season and traders hold off on imports, awaiting further softening of global prices.
Lower food prices in February contributed to a drop in inflation to 2.1 percent for the month. This was slower than both central bank and market forecasts, and marked a significant decline from 2.9 percent in January.
Palay production in the first quarter of 2025 is expected to reach 4.72 million metric tons, with higher yields offsetting a decrease in rice planting area, according to the latest estimate of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) has scheduled a public scoping next week for the proposed Lipitan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP), a National Irrigation Administration (NIA) initiative aimed at boosting irrigation and renewable energy in the province.
The National Electrification Administration (NEA) extended P1.54 billion in loans to 24 electric cooperatives (ECs) in the first half of 2025, marking a 76 percent increase from the P873.31 million issued to 21 ECs in the same period last year.
The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) has revised upward its 2024 capital raising target to ₱185 billion, reflecting strong market momentum and sustained corporate interest in equity financing.
Megaworld Corp. is pushing forward with its commercial expansion strategy through the Imperial Wing of Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, Manila—an important addition that reinforces the developer’s role in revitalizing one of the capital’s historic business districts.