Rice imports top 700,000 MT as of late February

RICE IMPORTS in 2026 amounted to 707,711 metric tons (MT) as of Feb. 26, up 28.5% from a year earlier, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) said.

The year-to-date volume has exceeded the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) projection of about 600,000 MT for the first two months. The DA had urged traders and importers to keep shipments to around 300,000 MT per month.

The BPI said inbound rice shipments rose 33.87% to 374,768 MT in January, while shipments from Feb. 1 to 26 totaled 332,944 MT, 22.9% higher than the full-month figure of 270,796 MT a year earlier.

The BPI said inbound shipments as of Feb. 26 are equivalent to 74.95% of the 944,290 MT expected volume based on approved import clearances.

Of the total arrivals, 87.96% originated in Vietnam, 6.17% Thailand, and 5.04% Myanmar.

Regular rice accounted for the bulk of imports at 686,957.68 MT or 97.1% of the total, while special rice amounted to 20,753.78 MT or 2.9%.

The DA has said it expects rice import volumes to amount to 150,000 MT per month in March and April, following consultations with rice traders and importers.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the projected shipments are lower than the usual monthly average of about 400,000 MT, after importers agreed to scale back inbound shipments for the domestic harvest.

If realized, the combined 300,000-MT import volume for March and April would be equivalent to a 65.5% decline from the year-earlier 869,321 MT. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel