PH rice stocks decline 25% in December
PHILIPPINE rice stocks declined in December last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
T h e c o u n t r y ’ s r i c e inventory was at 1.9 million metric tons as of Dec. 1, PSA said on Tuesday, Jan. 23. This number is 25.2 percent lower than the 2.53 million metric tons recorded in December 2022.
Rice stocks declined in all sectors across the country. In depositories of the National Food Authority (NFA), stocks were down by 54.4 percent. In the household sector, stocks decreased by 33.2 percent.
In the commercial sector, stocks also fell by 8.7 percent.
In December, 52.1 percent of the country’s total rice stock was with households. The PSA said 44.9 percent were in the commercial sector, and 3 percent were in the NFA depositories.
However, the Philippines is projected to remain at the top of the list of global rice importers.
T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Department of Agriculture said t he Philippines i s projected to import 3.8 million metric tons of rice this year, exceeding the 3.22 million metric tons it collected in 2023.
The Philippines was followed by China, Indonesia, the European Union, Nigeria, and Iraq.
I t overtook China as world’s top importer of rice in September of 2023.
Local agriculture industry group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), however, said the Philippines may only be importing between 3.2 to 3.3 million metric tons.
Imports
The Department of Agriculture ( DA) s ai d imported rice will be arriving next month to boost the country’s supply.
“Hindi natin dine- deny na maraming i mport na bigas ang Pilipinas,” said DA spokesperson Arnel de Mesa.
He continued, “Depende this year, kasi we have to remember may El Niño tayo ngayon na pwedeng maging challenge sa production. Ang pangunahing layunin ng kagawaran, masigurado na mayroong sapat na bigas.”
Corn stocks rise
Meanwhile, the PSA said corn stocks in the Philippines reached 685,890 metric tons in December 2023, up 51.1 percent from the 454,030 in December 2022.
Corn s t ocks i n t he commercial sector increased by 51.4 percent, while those in households grew by 49.4 percent.
About 82.8 percent of total corn stocks in December were from the commercial sector, while the remaining 17.2 percent were in households.