The Philippines secured a supply agreement with Vietnam for a total of 1.5 million metric tons (MT) of rice at a fixed rate of $450 per MT, as the government looks to bolster local supplies of the staple grain amid potential production challenges later this year. In a statement on Friday, May 8,...
Containerized rice import shipments must be prioritized for discharge, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) ordered, granting the Philippine Rice Importers Association Inc. (PRIA) faster port processing to speed up the release of rice cargoes. BOC Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, through a memorandum...
Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on the Senate to conduct a thorough and immediate investigation into the “sudden and aggressive” rice importation of Planters Products Inc. (PPI), noting that the agency’s latest questionable moves could further hurt the country’s farmers already reeling...
As the national government prepares to stabilize the rice price and supply, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be there to ensure that everybody will comply. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. has expressed full readiness to support the enforcement of the government’s planned...
Senior citizens aged 65–79, along with jeepney and tricycle drivers, received 10 kilos of rice in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, May 6, under the Local Government Support Fund-Financial Assistance to Local Government Units of the national government. Mandaluyong City Mayor Carmelita...
The Malabon and Caloocan city governments have expanded their rice distribution programs to help vulnerable sectors cope with rising food prices. In Malabon, around 3,000 residents received 10 kilograms of rice each under the “Hapag Sigurado” program at the Malabon Sports Center on Wednesday,...
A total of 8,898 senior citizens in San Juan City will receive 40 kilos of rice each this year under the Assistance to Indigent Individuals or Families–Food Assistance (AIIF-FA) Rice Distribution Project, which began with the first 10-kilo allocation on Wednesday, May 6. San Juan City Mayor...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is evaluating a restriction on monthly rice import volumes of up to 200,000 metric tons (MT) from June to October to ensure adequate domestic supply without collapsing farmgate prices. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told Manila Bulletin that the...
The Dagupan City government is selling P20 per kilo rice starting May 4 at the city plaza. The initiative is aligned with the program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Priority sectors are senior citizens, solo parents, Persons with Disabilities, farmers, fisherfolk, and transport drivers. To...
The government should utilize the P30-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to finance interventions that go beyond short-term financial aid to shield farmers from the effects of El Niño and rising global fuel costs, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said. Escudero made the...
The World Bank has given its go-ahead to the $24.5-million Technical Assistance for Sustainable Agricultural Transformation (TASAT) program, which will complement the Philippines’ largest-ever single loan from the Washington-based multilateral lender aimed at diversifying the sector and moving...
MALOLOS CITY—More than 1,400 members of the Bulacan Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (BFJODA) received rice subsidies on Friday, April 24, as the provincial government rolled out relief for the transport sector reeling from soaring fuel costs. Gov. Daniel R. Fernando and...
