Philippines to import more rice and corn

The Philippines may import more rice and corn this year due to lower rice production and the extension of lower tariffs, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In a report, the USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) raised its rice import forecast for the Philippines to 3.8 million metric tons (MT) this year from the previous target of 3.4 million MT. The higher forecast was “because of the need to cover for the production shortfall,” it said. Earlier, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said the country may need to import at least three million MT of rice with a looming shortage due to low production and higher food utilization. However, the Department of Agriculture (DA) dismissed the looming rice shortage this year. In its latest report, the USDA said the Philippines’ milled rice production was expected to be lower, down to 11.975 million MT from the earlier forecast of 12.411 million MT for the year. The USDA cited damage from Super Typhoon Karding ...