Manila, April 14 -- The supply of rice remains stable despite the effects of global oil pressures, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured on Tuesday.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the rice supply will be secured for the entire year, considering a good local palay (unhusked rice) harvest alongside global rice availability from the world's major rice exporters like Vietnam and India.

"If ever there will be a problem, it's not going to be this year," he said.

Tiu Laurel also reiterated that the 20 percent projected decline in palay output only represents the "worst case scenario" in relation to the effects of Middle East tensions.

The estimation factors in the higher global oil prices and increas...