P500-M rice imports stalled in Port of Manila

Half a billion pesos worth of rice is sitting at the Port of Manila, waiting to be picked up by their importers, making the government worry that this may cause an artificial increase in consumer prices.

- ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

Based on records from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), more than 700 shipping containers of rice are waiting to be taken out of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and the Manila South Harbor.

Estimates showed that these rice imports might be worth over P555 million, based on the capacity of the containers and the volume inside.

Jay Santiago, PPA general manager, is not discounting the possibility that rice traders are intentionally holding on to the shipments at the ports because they are waiting for rice prices in the market to increase.