DA assures sufficient rice supply until next harvest
At A Glance
- The Department of Agriculture (DA) assures that the country has a sufficient supply of rice until the next harvest season, supported by stable local production and imports.<br>The DA expects a national rice stock inventory of approximately 85 to 90 days by the end of December, in addition to rice supply sourced abroad, enough to carry through until the next harvest season in March or April.<br>The DA expects a total of 20 million metric tons or slightly more of rice before the end of the current year's dry and wet harvest season.<br>As of the end of November, the country's rice imports amount to 3.03 million metric tons, lower than the 3.5 million metric tons recorded during the same period last year.<br>This year, the expected import of approximately 3.2 to 3.3 million metric tons, a decrease from last year's total of 3.8 million metric tons.<br>The government has secured 295,000 metric tons of Indian rice, with an initial 95,000 metric tons expected to arrive soon, followed by additional deliveries in January.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that the country's rice supply is sufficient until the next harvest season, supported by steady local production and imports.
In a briefing on Saturday, Dec. 13, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said they expect the national rice stock inventory to reach approximately 85 to 90 days by the end of December.
“At the end we're expecting about 85 to 90 days of our national stock inventory by the end of December which is enough to carry us through until the next harvest season come March or April,” De Mesa said.
“Siyempre mayroon din namang import na dumarating kasi liberalized naman iyong importation natin – based on historical data, may dumarating din na imports additional during the first quarter,” he added.
[Of course, there are also imports that come because our importation is liberalized - based on historical data, there are also additional imports coming during the first quarter]
De Mesa said the DA is projecting a total of 20 million metric tons or slightly more by the end of this year's dry and wet harvest season.
As of the end of November, the country’s rice imports stand at 3.03 million metric tons, a decrease from last year's 3.5 million metric tons for the same period.
“Last year ang kabuuan is 3.5; we’re expecting this year mga 3.2, 3.3 million metric tons wala pa iyong Indian rice. So, kumbaga, magkaroon lang nang kaunting diprensiya, so plus matatag naman iyong ating production,” De Mesa explained.
[Last year, the total was 3.5 million metric tons; we're expecting about 3.2 to 3.3 million metric tons this year, excluding Indian rice. Therefore, we anticipate only a slight difference, indicating that our production is more stable.]
De Mesa also said the DA is expecting the arrival of 95,000 metric tons of Indian rice out of the 295,000 metric tons secured by the government, with additional deliveries scheduled for January.