The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will lower the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of imported rice to P45 per kilogram by March 31 from the current P49 per kg, following continued declines in global rice prices.
“At this level, the retail price of imported rice has now decreased by P19 per kg compared to its price before we implemented the MSRP on January 20,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement released to reporters on Wednesday.
Before the MSRP was introduced, imported rice sold for P64 per kg despite global rice prices softening, tariff reductions and a strong performance of the Philippine peso, the DA said.
The agency reiterated that the implementation of the rice MSRP followed consultations with industry stakeholders to ensure that price reductions would not destabilize the local rice industry nor compromise food security.
Based on the DA’s monitoring of public markets in the National Capital Region, local well-milled rice sold for P40 to P54 per kg on Tuesday (March 25), while regular milled rice went for P35 to P48 per kg.
Imported well-milled rice was selling for P43 to P46 per kg, while prices of imported regular milled rice ranged from P35 to P45 per kg.
Special-variety imported rice fetched P50 to P60 per kilo and premium rice, P48 to P51 per kilo.
Special-variety local rice was selling for P53 to P64 per kg while premium rice went for P43 to P62 per kg.
Feed support for duck raisers
In a separate announcement, the DA said it has launched a feed distribution initiative aimed at supporting duck raisers in Pampanga, considered the central hub of the country’s duck industry.
Tiu Laurel said the initiative has been part of broader efforts to strengthen livestock farming, particularly poultry like ducks, to provide more income-generating opportunities for farmers and enhance food security.
Central Luzon is home to over half of the nation’s duck population and has consistently been a leader in both duck meat and egg production, contributing 27 percent of the national supply of duck meat and 56 percent of duck eggs, the latest DA data showed.
The agency said that in 2024, the region recorded a total duck inventory of 4.9 million heads, with Pampanga alone accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total.
Under the feed assistance program, registered duck raisers in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA) can receive between nine and 17 bags of feeds, each weighing 50 kg, with the actual amount of support ranging from P15,000 to P28,000 per recipient.
To qualify for the program, duck raisers must own at least 100 ducks, and government assistance will cover a maximum of 2,000 ducks, regardless of the number registered in the RSBSA, the DA explained.
Nearly 1,000 duck raisers from the fourth district of Pampanga, including those from Candaba, San Luis, San Simon and Apalit, will benefit from this initiative, which is being fine-tuned to become a multi-year program that can be expanded to other parts of the country, the DA said.
“Though small, this feed distribution initiative aims to provide vital support to our Kabalen in the duck industry, who are working tirelessly to help the government achieve its vision of a food-secure Philippines and an agricultural sector where farmers can earn better and improve their lives,” said Tiu Laurel
