Cheyenne Suarez

Agri dept seeks to extend price cap on imported rice beyond June 30

Rice vendors attend to their customers In the Pasig City market on March 19, 2026, As fuel prices drive up the cost of rice, Filipino families are turning to "smart purchases," buying by the cavan to outrun the hidden costs of daily market trips. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div> </div>MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing to extend the P50 per kilo price cap on imported rice beyond June 30, Malacañang said on Thursday, about two weeks before the policy lapses.The DA has recommended extending the effectivity of the price cap, but the National Price Coordinating Council has yet to release a resolution, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing.“Ito ay titingnan natin kung sasang ayunan pa rin ng coordinating council,” she said.While waiting for the NPCC’s decision, the DA has been continuously policing retailers who have been violating the earlier price cap on imported rice, Castro said.“Nagbibigay na po sila ng notice tungkol sa violation na ito, kaya hinihikayat po natin ang mga kababayan natin tungkol sa presyo ng bigas, ipagbigay-alam niyo po sa amin at sa DA para maimbestigahan at mapanagot ang dapat mapanagot,” she said.The government implemented a price cap on imported rice in May to tame rice inflation after the price of the staple grain rose by 13.7 percent in April compared to the same month in 2025, according to government data.Marcos first announced the plan to curb the increase in rice prices in March after oil supply disruptions linked to the war in Iran triggered a steep price hike across various commodities.