The Philippines has seen a 6.4% increase in its rice stockpile as of January 1, reaching 2.16 million metric tons, due to the government's more aggressive buying policy. This is despite a 15.7% decrease from the previous month. The rise is attributed to increased purchasing by the National Food Authority (NFA) due to its flexible pricing scheme. In contrast, corn inventory has dropped by 45% due to farmers shifting to tobacco planting due to pest issues, primarily fall armyworm.