The Department of Agriculture (DA) has set up a technical working group to manage rice imports more strategically, aiming to stabilize prices and secure supply while protecting local farmers. The move marks a shift from reactive measures to a data-driven system that decides not just how much rice enters the market, but also when and where it is distributed.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. stressed urgency in a recent meeting with industry representatives. “We have to work fast. It’s already February,” he said, directing the TWG to meet weekly and deliver recommendations within weeks.

The panel will include officials from the DA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development, Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM), and the Philippine Rice Importers Association (PRIA).

Instead of ad hoc approvals, the group will use real-time data on regional shortages, stock levels, and buffer requirements to guide imports. The initial goal is to ensure a sufficient rice supply for May while avoiding oversupply that could harm local harvests.

Tiu Laurel said that while May’s import volumes will be straightforward, more complex mechanisms, such as linking import access to purchases from local farmers, are being considered later in the year.

The TWG will also develop a two-layer system that decides timing, quantity, and distribution down to provincial levels, eventually setting import volumes and prices regionally.

Transparency will be enforced: warehouses and traders failing to report stock data may lose import privileges. “No data, no import participation,” Tiu Laurel warned.

For farmers, the initiative promises protection from speculative price swings. For consumers, it means a steadier supply and fewer sudden price jumps. The TWG represents a move toward a structured, evidence-based approach that treats rice imports as a calibrated tool for market stability.