The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has acquired a high-tech rice quality analyzer to strengthen the government’s crackdown on rice adulteration, mislabeling and other deceptive trading practices in the local market.

The new equipment is expected to improve the government’s ability to verify compliance with Philippine rice standards and may eventually help authorities distinguish locally produced rice from imported varieties through science-based testing.

In a report to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said the acquisition supports the implementation of Republic Act No. 12078, the amended Agricultural Tariffication Law.

Under the law, the BPI is tasked with strengthening its rice quality analysis capabilities through advanced testing technologies.

The analyzer can assess a wide range of rice quality indicators, including grain size, percentage of broken grains, milling degree, chalkiness, yellow rice content and other physical characteristics used in rice classification.

“The primary objective of this capability is to support the assessment of rice compliance with the applicable Philippine National Standards,” Panganiban said.

“The generated data will also serve as technical reference in determining rice quality classification and in identifying possible indicators that may distinguish local from imported rice, subject to validation and correlation with established reference data,” he added.

Tiu Laurel said the enhanced testing capability would improve the Department of Agriculture’s enforcement operations against fraudulent market practices.

“It will give the DA stronger teeth against rice adulteration, mislabeling, and other deceptive practices by providing science-based evidence that can stand up in investigations and prosecution of violators,” he said.

The acquisition comes as the DA intensifies monitoring of rice prices and supply conditions following directives from Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stabilize rice prices amid broader economic pressures.

The BPI’s Plant Product Safety Services Division is currently conducting inspections and gathering rice quality data from markets, warehouses and other points in the supply chain.

The agency said the information generated by the analyzer would support future policy decisions and strengthen enforcement against traders and retailers violating rice labeling and classification rules.

The BPI is also coordinating with other DA units to use the collected data in monitoring compliance and protecting consumers from misleading rice products in the market.