Poorest 30% households experienced 23.6% rice inflation in September
October 7, 2026 | 9:42 pm RICE INFLATION for the bottom 30% income segment of households hit 23.6% in September, from 22.5% a month earlier, as weather disruptions and higher production costs weighed on...
October 7, 2026 | 9:42 pm RICE INFLATION for the bottom 30% income segment of households hit 23.6% in September, from 22.5% a month earlier, as weather disruptions and higher production costs weighed on food supply, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Tuesday. Cereals and cereal products, which include rice, accounted for about three-fourths of food’s contribution to inflation for the bottom 30% income group.
Consumer price growth for the segment accelerated to 9% year on year in September from 8.2% in August, the highest level since February 2023. Former Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said supply is the main driver of rice prices.
“Well, the prices of rice, it’s again governed by the law of supply and demand,” he told BusinessWorld . Mr. Dar warned that supply could tighten in the fourth quarter as El Niño progresses.
“It has started and is progressing. And what’s the impact of El Niño? There is no water.
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Without water, your food production will fall,” he said. “There will be less supply (if we don’t have adequate reserves of rice),” he added. Mr.
Dar said higher costs are hurting farmers because they are forced to use fuel. “Solar-powered irrigation systems are still insufficient. So I would consider it a perfect storm,” he said.
The PSA said inflation for the poorest 30% was mainly driven by food and non-alcoholic beverages, where price growth accelerated to 9.4% from 8% a month earlier. The price of vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses rose 9% from 1.2% in August, while that of fruits and nuts came in at 8.9% from 6.4% previously.
The price of fish and other seafood increased 8.4% from 8.1%. “With so many typhoons, heavy rains, and severe flooding, vegetable and fruit production has been severely impacted,” Mr. Dar noted.
Corn price growth slowed to 20% from 21.8%, and that for oils and fats declined to 6.8% from 7.3%. Meat prices fell 3.6%, against the August drop of 4.8%. Mr.
Dar said some regions felt the early impact of El Niño, with more regions expected to start showing its effects after August. — Moureen Ylessandra B. Dizon
Article text via FreeNewsAPI. Rights remain with BusinessWorld Online.
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