BPI data: PHL rice imports jump 32 percent to 2.771 MMT in 2021
Published on: January 7, 2022.
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The country’s rice imports last year expanded by 32 percent year-on-year to 2.771 million metric tons (MMT), the second-largest import volume by the Philippines in history, latest government data showed.
Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) data released to the public recently showed that total rice imports last year rose by 672,000 MT from the 2.099 MMT recorded in 2020.
Historical government data showed that this is the second-highest rice import volume recorded by the Philippines.
BPI data showed that Vietnam remained as the country’s top supplier of rice as it accounted for 85 percent of the total import volume or about 2.36 MMT.
The country’s rice imports from Vietnam last year rose by 29 percent from 1.828 MMT in 2020, based on BPI data.
Last year’s top rice importer was Davao-based Nan Stu Agri Traders with a total volume of 169,774.95 metric tons (MT) followed by Manila-based Bestow Industries Inc. at 129,339.28 MT, according to BPI data.
BPI data showed that a total of 154 entities imported rice last year from Cambodia, China, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The figure was lower than the 193 entities that imported rice in 2020.
The decline in the number of importers last year was a result of the indefinite suspension of farmers’ cooperatives and organizations as eligible rice importers following reports that they are just being used as fronts of unscrupulous traders.
BPI data showed that importers brought in the most volume of rice in September at 327,164.339 MT followed by January at 303,923.020 MT.
BPI data also showed that the agency issued a total of 7,821 sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPS-IC) last year covering an import volume of 7.003 MMT.
Out of the total SPS-ICs last year, about 25 percent or 1,937 SPS-ICs were issued in December, based on BPI data. The total SPS-ICs issued in December covers an import volume of 1.824 MMT, which importers can bring in until February of this month since a SPS-IC has a 60-day expiry.
In 2020, the BPI issued a total of 5,535 SPS-ICs for an applied import volume of 4.795 MMT.
The Philippines recorded the largest import volume in 2019, when its purchases reached 3.1 MMT. The government had deregulated the rice industry that year, which made it easier for traders to import rice.
Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/01/06/bpi-data-phl-rice-imports-jump-32-percent-to-2-771-mmt-in-2021/
