Manila, April 3 -- The country may have lower rice imports and more robust local palay (unhusked rice) production this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday.

DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the projected rice import of 3.8 to 4 million metric tons (MMT) will be much lower than the historic high of 4.8 million metric tons (MMT) recorded in 2024.

For the first quarter, de Mesa said the DA logged a downward trend on the import volume of rice to 804,347 MT from 1.19 MMT tallied in the same period last year.

"Iyong (The) monthly average is around 270,000 metric tons - 270,000 to 280,000 metric tons. Compared to the same period last year, na nasa mga level ng (that's around the level of) 400,000 metri...