4
RICE STOCKS RECOVERED FROM SEPTEMBER BUT REMAINED BELOW LAST YEAR
The Philippines had an estimated 2.16 million metric tons of rice in stock on October 1, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority's November 5 release. That was 13.2% more than on September 1, but 8.3% less than a year earlier. PSA's rice and corn inventory report.
The increase was uneven. Commercial stocks grew 31.7% from September, while household stocks barely changed, rising 0.3%. Rice held in National Food Authority (NFA) depositories fell 3.2% over the same period.
Commercial holdings made up nearly half the total, while NFA stocks accounted for 12.9%. The national inventory therefore includes rice held by businesses and families; it cannot be read as the amount sitting in government warehouses.
The figures describe October 1. Harvests, deliveries and purchases since then will have changed what is available, so this report alone cannot establish today's supply at a neighborhood store.