The Philippines expanded its rice importation by 18 percent to 1.7 million metric tons (MT) during the first four months of 2026 as the government looks to bolster the supply of the commodity amid expectations of lower output in the coming months.

The latest Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) data showed that the country’s rice imports increased to 1.68 million MT from January to April, compared to 1.42 million MT in the same period last year.

BPI has approved 1,508 sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import clearances for a total import volume of 2.24 million MT for the four-month period, but only 71 percent has arrived in the country so far.

Vietnam remained the country’s top rice supplier, with imports from the neighboring country reaching 1.46 million MT, or more than 86 percent of total.

This was followed by shipments from Thailand at 104,052 MT, Myanmar at 72,147 MT, and Cambodia at 35,565 MT.

The government plans to use rice imports to offset the expected shortfall in production this year caused by higher fertilizer costs and the potential effects of a “super” El Niño.

Last week, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that the Philippines has entered into a supply agreement with Vietnam for the importation of 1.5 million MT through next year.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said securing a predictable supply of imported rice is crucial to augment local production and support strong demand for the household staple.

He said this is also meant to stabilize retail prices of the commodity, which weighs heavily in the basket of consumer goods used to determine inflation.

The country’s headline inflation rose to a three-year high of 7.2 percent in April, with the annual rate of increase in rice prices accelerating to 13.7 percent from 3.5 percent last March.

However, Tiu Laurel said actual import volumes under the country’s agreement with Vietnam may still depend on both market prices and local rice output to ensure that farmers continue to earn a fair return for their work.

In line with this, Tiu Laurel told Manila Bulletin that the DA is considering limiting the quantity of rice imports that can enter the country from June to October to prevent farmgate prices from collapsing during the upcoming wet-season harvest.

While this restriction would still depend on the enactment of the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act, the DA chief said the government is evaluating the imposition of a cap of 150,000 MT to 200,000 MT on monthly imports during the five-month period.

To protect consumers, the government is also planning to impose a price ceiling of ₱50 per kilo on imported rice to prevent unreasonable price increases.

Based on monitoring of Metro Manila markets as of May 12, imported regular-milled rice averaged ₱42.50 per kilo, imported well-milled rice fetched ₱48.04 per kilo, and imported premium rice sold for ₱58.14 per kilo.

Apart from Vietnam, Tiu Laurel said the DA is also considering importing more rice from other key suppliers, including Myanmar, Cambodia, India, and Pakistan.