THE country may face a shortage in domestic rice supply this year due to reduced production and external geopolitical risks, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said over the weekend.
The group — whose 200,000 members include small landholders, tenants, agricultural laborers, settlers, and fishermen — is projecting a 6-percent drop in palay output in the first semester due to reduced planting following low palay (unhusked rice) prices in 2025.
Last year, palay production totaled 19.68 million metric tons (MT), which the FFF said amounted to 12.4 million MT of rice. Adding 2024 carryover stocks resulted in a rice supply of 14.6 million MT.