Rice prices stabilized in the past weeks and months despite its previous pronouncement of a “food security emergency” this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said yesterday.

Aside from that, the DA decided to enforce a P58-a-kilo maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for imported rice in Metro Manila beginning on 20 January.

“So, as we can see, as of 7 January most of our prices, most of our imports, the five-percent broken and 25-percent broken, are coming from Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan. As of last 13 December, we could see that there was a decrease in world rice prices, especially from those countries,” a DA official said at the 1st Quarter National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) 2025 press conference on Tuesday.

The NPCC, chaired by Trade Secretary Cristina Roque, held its first meeting to address the price and supply situation of rice.

The DA said it is proposing measures to enhance transparency and regulation in the rice market, including stricter labeling and a review of pricing mechanisms, in response to concerns over price hikes and potential market abuses.

The DA’s proposed reforms include the mandatory labeling of rice sacks to provide detailed information about the product. Key details such as the brand, type, percentage of broken grains, origin, importer’s name and address, milling date, and retail price will be required.

“This will ensure that consumers know what they are purchasing and help us address the abuse in rice branding, especially with imported rice,” the DA official said.

Roque said they are developing an omnibus guideline for rice labeling and branding to enforce these standards. In coordination with the NPCC, the DA is exploring a formula to establish the MSRP for rice.

The formula will incorporate various indicators such as production levels, farmgate prices, inflation, stock inventories, global market trends, weather outlook, foreign exchange rates and fuel prices.

Moreover, the data will help set thresholds to determine if the country faces a rice supply shortage or extraordinary price increases, potentially leading to the declaration of a food security emergency.

“We’re considering historical data and other critical factors over the past three to five years to ensure that we account for all possible scenarios before determining thresholds,” the DA said.