Rice imports up 20.3% to nearly 2 million MT

THE Philippines' rice imports reached nearly 2.0 million metric tons (MT) in the first five months of the year, higher compared to last year's level, data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed.

The latest report from the BPI showed that the country's rice imports from January 1 to May 23 went up by 20.3 percent to 1.97 million MT, higher compared to last year's 1.64 million MT. The BPI is an agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA).