Philippines is expected to import more rice next year as local production will still not be enough to cover the national demand. In the latest report of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the Philippines was seen to import 1.3 million metric tons (MT) of rice next year, lower than the original import target of 1.7 million MT. This year’s rice import level, however, is 38 percent higher than the 800,000 MT of rice that entered the country in 2016. Increased output is expected as a result of favorable weather conditions and increased use of high-yielding varieties. There were noticeably fewer intense typhoons that passed through major rice production areas compared to previous years,