The Philippines’ rice imports so far this year have surpassed last year's level and can hit 4.2 million metric tonnes (MT) by the end of 2024, Department of Agriculture (DA) technical advisory group member and former undersecretary for rice industry development Leocadio Sebastian said. Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) — The Philippines’ rice imports so far this year have surpassed last year's level and can hit 4.2 million metric tonnes (MT) by the end of 2024, Department of Agriculture (DA) technical advisory group member and former undersecretary for rice industry development Leocadio Sebastian said. Domestic rice output in the Philippines may be lower than 19.41 million MT this year, following multiple typhoons that hit the country. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Manila office forecasts the Philippines will import around 4.7 million MT of rice this year, higher than the previous estimate of 4.6 million MT. In its latest Grain report, USDA projected the Philippines will produce 12.3 million MT of milled rice this year, lower than the previous forecast of 12.7 million MT./.
