Rice imports rose 15% in January to May

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MANILA, Philippines – The volume of rice imported to the Philippines swelled by around 15 percent as of late May as the sector builds up the buffer stock in anticipation of the severe impact of El Niño on local production.

The country imported 2.22 million metric tons (MT) of rice from January to May 28. This was higher than 1.93 million MT between January and May 2025, data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed.

Rice imports in May alone reached 503,131.00 MT, slightly lower than the previous year. This was the highest monthly import volume for 2026.

READ: The Philippines remains world’s largest rice importer