THE Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (Prism) has agreed to buy 100,000 metric tons (MT) of rice from the United States starting in 2027, under an agreement with the USA Rice Federation to revive and expand trade with the country.
Annual purchases will rise to 200,000 MT beginning in 2028, with deliveries consisting of bagged or bulk shipments.The agreement comes as the Philippines prepares for a potentially severe El Niño that could threaten farm production.Signed on Oct. 7 at the International World Rice Conference in Manila, the agreement commits both groups to work with industry players and government agencies to facilitate trade.USA Rice Federation President and CEO Peter Bachmann said the deal would give Filipino buyers another reliable source of supply while opening a much-needed market for American growers and millers.The federation represents US rice farmers, millers, merchants and allied businesses.Prism cofounder Rowena del Rosario-Sadicon said the partnership would build on long-standing rice trade ties and create opportunities for cooperation between the two industries. Prism represents Philippine rice industry stakeholders involved in the domestic market and imports.The US was a major rice supplier to the Philippines from 1999 to 2007 through the National Food Authority. It also supplied substantial volumes to support Philippine food security from the 60s to the 80s.The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has warned that El Niño could become very strong by the year-end and persist through the first half of 2027, bringing below-normal rainfall, prolonged dry spells, reduced water supplies and extreme heat to parts of the country.The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it would allow rice imports to continue to help build buffer stocks ahead of the dry spell. In early September, the agency estimated that the country might need to import as much as 5 million MT.Bureau of Plant Industry data showed rice imports reached 3.98 million MT as of Sept. 24, up 17 percent from 3.39 million metric tons a year earlier.The DA’s Bantay Presyo monitoring as of Sept. 30 listed imported special rice at P60 per kilogram, premium rice at P50, well-milled rice at P48 and regular-milled rice at P45.
