The country has enough rice to supply national demand and it will not be necessary to resort to new imports, said this Monday the Federation of Associations of Rice and Other Grains Producers of Panama (Fapagrap), which presented updated figures on available inventories.
According to the union, as of May 20, 2026, the national rice inventory will reach 4.8 million quintalswhich represents an increase of 1.3 million compared to the 3.5 million registered on the same date in 2025. This increase, they maintain, will guarantee the availability of the product in the local market.
Fapagrap explained that this growth in inventories coincides with the volume of rice that entered the country during 2025 outside the formal chain.
They detailed that approximately 550 thousand quintals were introduced through four millsothers 550 thousand through the Agricultural Marketing Institute (IMA)in addition to 111 thousand additional quintals imported by mills in January and 64 thousand of piled rice that paid tarifffor a total close to 1.3 million quintals.
According to the union, this additional volume is what is currently part of national stocks, which confirms that the product is already within the system and available for consumption. “The country has the rice necessary for its supply. The product is already in the system“, they indicated.
They reiterated that food safety must be managed responsibly and emphasized that there is no risk of shortage. “Rice is in the country. There will be no shortage.”
Last week during an extraordinary meeting of the rice agri-food chain, representatives of the National Association of Rice Millers (Analmo) They proposed analyzing the import of a quota of rice for October of this year, anticipating problems with high production costs due to the increase in fuel.
The president of Analmo, Ivanna Quinteropointed out that the proposed import quantity, of around 1.5 million quintalsresponds to the current needs of the country.
The proposal was rejected by producers who assured that there are no problems with planting or future harvesting, although they admitted that costs are rising 20% and they expect compensation measures to avoid increases in consumer prices.
