Legazpi City, Aug. 7 -- More than 142,000 rice farmers in the Bicol Region will benefit from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s decision to temporarily suspend rice importation for 60 days starting Sept. 1, the Department of Agriculture in Bicol said Thursday.

In a press conference, Jayson Gonzales, assistant agricultural program coordinating officer for DA-5, said Bicol's farmers would be able to negotiate higher farmgate prices as the harvest season starts.

"This will have a positive impact on our farmers since they will face no competition from imported rice," Gonzales said.

In a radio interview, Lovella Guarin, DA spokesperson, said the initiative is a positive move, especially with September being the harvest season during the we...