The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) reported that the Philippines imported 2.19 million metric tons (MT) of rice in the year to date, down 42.8% from the previous year due to higher international rice prices.

The national director of the Federation of Free Peasants, Raul Q. Montemayor, said that rice importers were greatly affected by the rise in market prices. According to the BPI, rice imports between August and August 24 fell by 56.4% year-on-year to 188,933.9 tons. For Montemayor in a Viber message, “it has become too expensive and risky for some importers to import rice especially after the ban on exports to India

Vietnam also announced that it plans to reduce its rice exports to four million tons per year by 2033. On August 24, the price controllers of the Ministry of Agriculture estimated the price of well-machined national rice between 45 and 57 pesos, while ordinary rice sold between 41 and