THE COUNTRY will not import rice beyond what has already been committed this year, the Agriculture chief said yesterday, denying claims of Vietnam and local traders of an agreement in principle for additional shipments.
"We are done, no more imports of rice this year," Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said in a phone interview yesterday.
The Philippines, the world's biggest importer of rice, has so far imported 1.775 million metric tons of rice — 1.575 million MT by the government and 200,000 MT by the private sector — this year.
The government's Inter-Agency Committee on Rice and Corn had given the National Food Authority (NFA) standby authority to import as much as 2.4 million MT this year, down from the 2.7 million MT option last year. However, Mr. Yap said "we will not reach it."
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