The buying price of palay in Mangaldan, Pangasinan has gone up further this week, reaching as high as P26.50 per kilo, giving farmers better returns at the start of the harvest season.

Traders are now buying palay at P25 to P26.50 per kilo, up from P23 to P24 per kilo in previous weeks. Farmers who harvested early said the higher price has helped increase their income.

“Swerte ngayon kasi atagey so presyo na palay, marakep so ani natan,” Daisy Dela Cruz, a farmer, said.

Many farmers are taking advantage of the higher price and selling their harvest while rates remain strong.

However, some traders said the increase has affected their margins. They cited rising expenses from harvesting to drying palay.

“Atagey ya maong so presyo, anggapoy nagawaan mi met ta kasi dakdakel so manlalapo ed Nueva Ecija ya managsalew,” Ali Dela Cruz, a trader, said.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said prices may continue to rise until the last two weeks of February 2026. By March, however, prices could fall gradually to around P20 per kilo as more harvests enter the market.

Compared with previous cropping seasons, when palay prices dropped to as low as P10 per kilo, current rates are considered favorable, the group said.

SINAG Chairman, Engr. Rosendo So, said the rice import ban implemented for several months last year helped tighten local supply.

“May effect ’yun dahil naubos ang local buffer stocks natin, walang masyadong local stocks sa mga milling, sa mga millers and local traders, wala pang naipon na stocks, so ’yung nabibili sa farmers ngayon, kapag nabili, i-mill then ibenta kaagad,” So said.

As of press time, only about 12 percent of the country’s palay harvest has been completed. By March, authorities expect 80 to 85 percent of the harvest to enter the market, which could influence prices in the coming weeks.