The government is open to expanding rice imports from Pakistan as part of efforts to widen the country’s sourcing partners for the staple and avoid overdependence on a single supplier.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he recently engaged with a Pakistani delegation to discuss the prospect of opening the country’s doors to more rice imports from the South Asian nation.

Tiu Laurel said the delegation expressed strong interest in supplying additional rice to the Philippines due to surplus production in Pakistan.

He said this comes at an opportune time as the government reviews its sourcing strategy to reduce reliance on Vietnam for rice shipments.

Last year, the country imported a total of 3.39 million metric tons (MT) of milled rice, of which 81 percent, or 2.76 million MT, was sourced from Vietnam, based on data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

In contrast, rice shipments from Pakistan totaled 76,522 MT, or just about two percent of the overall volume.

Expanding sources of rice imports is seen as a way to safeguard supply, particularly in the event of policy changes in Vietnam.

The Philippines remains the world’s largest rice importer, relying on overseas suppliers to plug supply gaps caused by rising demand and adverse weather conditions.

Even so, Tiu Laurel stressed that rice imports would remain a supplement, not a substitute, for domestic production.

For the year, the government expects rice imports to fall below four million MT, with unmilled rice production projected to reach 20.3 million MT.

Tiu Laurel said any potential increase in imports from Pakistan would be carefully calibrated to meet national demand.

“The Philippines welcomes Pakistani rice, but we will limit imports strictly to what the country needs. We will not over-import—food security comes first,” he said.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), additional rice imports from Pakistan would remain subject to existing regulatory, sanitary, and quality requirements as negotiations and technical discussions continue.

Tiu Laurel added that he also discussed with the Pakistani delegation the possibility of expanding two-way trade in both agricultural and non-agricultural products.

He said Pakistan is open to increasing shipments of Indian buffalo meat, while also expressing interest in importing more Philippine products such as coconuts, seaweeds, and fish.

“This is about widening our engagement with countries that are not necessarily our near neighbors, in the spirit of world trade and cooperation,” Tiu Laurel said.

“Countries need to help each other by exchanging products to strengthen food security on both sides,” he added.