Why PH remains world's top rice importer: ‘Local production meets only 80% of demand’ – DA official explains

Tabuk City, KALINGA - The Philippines produces only enough rice to meet around 80 percent of its population’s requirements, forcing the country to rely on imports to fill the supply gap, a Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) official said.

Danilo P. Daguio, DA-CAR regional technical director for operations, cited the production gap as a major reason the Philippines is projected to remain the world’s largest rice importer in 2026.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that the country will import 5.5 million metric tons of rice this year, according to a report by Vietnam News Agency published through VietnamPlus on October 28, 2026.

As of September 24, the Philippines had already imported approximately 3.98 million metric tons, surpassing the 3.39 million MT imported throughout 2025.

Vietnam remains the country's largest rice supplier, followed by Thailand and Myanmar.

Daguio explained the country's rice self-sufficiency gap during the November 5 inauguration of the Bulo-Magasusu Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP) in Barangay Bulo, Tabuk City.

“Maysa pay nga benefit wenno objective na daytoy nga project tayo ket diay panang-attain tayo ti rice self sufficiency nga kunkunada. One of the main objectives of this ket tapno magun-ud tayo didjay arapaam tayo nga ti Pilipinas koma ket self-sufficient ti rice.

Agbasbasa kayo ba ti Facebook? Number one tayo kanu nga rice importer inya,” Daguio said.

He said local production can supply only around 80 percent of the country's rice requirements, leaving the remaining demand to be met through imports.

“Ganito, kaya tayo nagkakaroon ng ganitong project para sa self sufficiency ng rice. Yong ating self-sufficiency dito sa Pilipinas ay nasa around 80 percent lang. Ti kayat na sauwen didjay, diay production tayo ket pang 80 percent lang of the population. So, saan tayo kukuha ng kakainin ng iba kung 80 percent lang ang puwedeng mapakain lang ng present production? Ganun so, kailangang magimport. Isu daytoy ti one of the main objective of the project to lesson importation,” he added.

He said projects such as the Bulo-Magasusu SWIP are intended to improve local rice production by providing farmers with a more reliable water supply, particularly during the dry season.

The P30.56-million facility, located in Sitio Magasusu, Barangay Bulo, is designed to irrigate 85 hectares of farmland and benefit 35 farmers.

Implemented by the DA through the Bureau of Soils and Water Management under its Fiscal Year 2024 Locally Funded Project for Small Water Impounding and Irrigation Projects, the facility will store rainwater and runoff for farm irrigation when rainfall is insufficient.

The project is expected to help sustain rice production and improve harvests, contributing to the country's efforts to narrow its rice supply gap and reduce dependence on imports.