PH Has Sufficient Rice Supply for Q3 of 2023, DA Says
Manila - Despite the surge in prices of the country's staple food, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public that the rice supply is sufficient.
DA Senior Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian said rice supply will meet Filipino food needs in the third quarter of 2023.
The carry-over stock of 1.8 million metric tons (MMT) and import arrivals of 1.8MMT are enough to cover the demand and consumption for seven MMT from January through June, Sebastian said.
Sebastian, who is in charge of the DA's Masagana Rice Industry Program (MRIP), said by June, the stock available would last for more than two months.
He attributed the current movement in rice prices to the "high cost of production locally and globally."
He said, "We expect this to stabilize.".
In the January to June rice pl...