Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced that the Philippines is unlikely to meet the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) projected rice import figures for 2025 and the following year.

According to Philippines News Agency, the USDA had projected that the Philippines would remain the largest global rice importer, with an import forecast of 5.4 million metric tons (MMT) in 2025 and 5.5 MMT in 2026. However, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa countered these figures, citing an expected recovery in local palay (unhusked rice) production.

De Mesa noted that the USDA's projections seemed exaggerated given the country's positive outlook for local production. He highlighted a significant increase in gross value added in the first quarter, reflecting a recovery in the agricultural sector. The DA expects local production for 2025 to surpass the record-high production volume of 20.06 MMT achieved in 2023.

He further explained that the high import volumes recorded in the previous year were due to significant losses in palay production, attributed to climate disturbances such as El Ni±o, La Ni±a, and multiple typhoons. The Philippines imported nearly 4.8 MMT of rice last year, a figure driven by an estimated loss of 1 million metric tons of palay.

In contrast, with the record-high palay production recorded in 2023, rice imports were reduced to 3.5 MMT. Since the beginning of the current year, import arrivals have totaled over 1.57 MMT, as reported by the Bureau of Plant Industry.