Push Admin

Agri dept preparing for possible P6/kilo hike in imported rice; eyes 'food sovereignty'

Article (news)

Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Rice retailers wait for customers at the Paco Market in Manila. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News file photo" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/06/09/20180403-nfa-rice-shortage-5-jc.jpeg"/><figcaption>Rice retailers wait for customers at the Paco Market in Manila. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News file photo</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — The Department of Agriculture on Thursday said it is preparing for a possible hike in the price of imported rice, and said the Philippines needs to have &quot;food sovereignty&quot; amid lingering crises.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/30/22/marcos-to-inherit-gasping-for-breath-agri-sector-dar">Marcos administration to inherit &#x27;gasping for breath&#x27; agri sector: Dar</a></li></ul>Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Vietnam and Thailand might &quot;coalesce&quot; and raise the price of their rice exports which could lead to a P6 per kilo increase in the price of imported rice. &quot;There are two strategies diyan sa potential na P6, we will broaden our sourcing not only in Vietnam and Thailand, but India and other potential sources para there is great competition,&quot; said Dar in a public briefing.&quot;The second strategy is to sustain, if not increase, yung ating (our) local rice production,&quot; he added. Dar said his agency will also provide P3 billion fertilizer subsidy for farmers. He is also looking to increase this to P6 billion.The Philippines&#x27; agriculture chief also said he hopes agencies affiliated with the United Nations will &quot;influence&quot; these countries to cushion the impact of their decision. He added that the country should focus on &quot;food sovereignty&quot; so it would not depend on agriculture imports given Russia&#x27;s ongoing war with Ukraine which has affected the world&#x27;s food supply. Dar and other agriculture groups had earlier warned of a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/05/18/22/agri-monitoring-looming-food-crisis-in-philippines">looming food crisis</a> globally. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/25/22/food-shortage-looms-in-ph-amid-ukraine-war-agri-group">PH may face food shortage by 4th quarter as Ukraine war chokes supplies: agri group</a></li></ul>&quot;The best strategy is to enhance our local rice production,&quot; he said. &quot;We have to look at import substitution in a big way. This is the time na food sovereignty has to be now our overarching goal para with the available resources, significant budgetary resources, ay itataas natin yung level ng local food production,&quot; he said.(This is the time that food sovereignty has to be our overarching goal so we can increase the level of our local food production with the available resources.)The official raised the importance of the continuity of the &quot;Plant, Plant, Plant&quot; program in the next administration that seeks to boost agricultural yields. He also cited the importance of using both local and imported fertilizers and managing them for farmers amid the fertilizer shortage. To conserve organic and inorganic fertilizers, DA already <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/03/24/22/p4-b-fertilizer-subsidy-allotted-for-farmers">implemented</a> the large-scale use of biostimulants to boost crop quality. Fertilizers are neede to keep the production of rice, corn, and wheat high. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/03/24/22/p4-b-fertilizer-subsidy-allotted-for-farmers">DA allots P4 billion fertilizer subsidy for farmers amid soaring prices</a></li></ul>&quot;Combination of chemical, organic, and biofertilizers. We are now upscaling the use of biofertilizer developed by [University of the Philippines Los Baños] Biotech. Ito ay ipamimigay natin sa mga rice and corn farmers,&quot; he said.(We will distribute these to our rice and corn farmers.)<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2070753" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><address style="text-align:center">Video from PTV</address>

Agriculture chief William Dar said Vietnam and Thailand might raise the price of their rice for export which could lead to a P6 per kilo increase in imported rice.

Agri dept preparing for possible P6/kilo hike in imported rice; eyes 'food sovereignty'

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Business

Agri dept preparing for possible P6/kilo hike in imported rice; eyes 'food sovereignty'

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 09, 2022 04:05 PM PHT

|

Updated June 09, 2022 05:00 PM PHT

Read More:

food security

looming food crisis

rice

prices of rice

rice prices

rice imports

rice export

food

food shortage

Department of Agriculture

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.