Competition in the Rice Value Chain: Highlights of a Rapid Appraisal

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This Policy Note discusses the rice value chain and how the policy on restricting rice imports impacts the various stakeholders in the chain. It is based on a rapid appraisal of the rice value chain conducted through interviews in October 2013. Key informants came from the National Food Authority and each of the nodes of the rice supply chain from the producing, trading, and milling markets in Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan to the milling and wholesale markets in Bulacan, and the wholesale and retail markets in Manila. The rapid appraisal was carried out as part of the project "Competition Reforms in Key Markets for Enhancing Social and Economic Welfare in Developing Countries", a collaborative undertaking of the Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International, PIDS, and Action for Economic Reforms. The project aims to demonstrate the benefits of competition reforms for consumers and producers and generate support from policymakers in developing countries.