Rice inventory up 5.8% in Dec. as NFA holdings rise sharply

THE national rice inventory rose 5.8% year on year to 2.7 million metric tons (MMT) as of Dec. 1, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Of the total stock, 45.2% was held by commercial traders, 38% by households, and 16.9% by the National Food Authority (NFA).

Rice held by the NFA more than tripled to 456,140 MT as of Dec. 1, it said.

Rice held by commercial establishments amounted to 1.22 MMT, down 19.2% from a year earlier.

Rice held by households rose 14.3% to 1.03 MMT.

Month on month, the volume of rice stocks grew 5.9%.

“In comparison to November 2025, increment was noted in the rice stocks in the commercial sector by 29.4%. Meanwhile, decreases in the rice inventory were noted in the holdings of households by 10.7% and NFA depositories by 1%,” the PSA said.

The PSA also reported a 23.1% year-on-year increase in the corn inventory to 675,000 MT as of Dec. 1.

Corn held by the commercial sector accounted for 86.4% of the total, with the remainder held by households.

Month on month, the corn inventory declined 14.6%. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel