RICE PRICE GOAL | Agriculture secretary says Marcos’ P20 rice price target laudable but challenging

June 9, 2022 , 07:51 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(June 9, 2022) – The agriculture secretary on Thursday said President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s plans to bring down the price of rice to as low as P20 per kilogram is laudable but he will face challenges due to rising inflation in recent months.

William Dar said the deepening Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has caused the soaring price of fuel and basic goods, is expected to drive up the cost of production of palay or unhusked rice by P3.30, increasing the per-kilo cost to almost P15 from the current P11.50.

But he believed this could be doable over the long term by launching programs to raise rice productivity and yield targets while bringing down the cost of production.

“Ang approach ko diyan, yun ang aspiration natin, yun ang itatarget natin over a number of years,” Dar said in a government briefing. “So gagawa tayo ng program, magplano tayo para makita natin ano yung gaps, ano yung challenges, value chain approach at yun po ang aking response towards the P20 rice.”

Last month, Marcos Jr. said he is in talks with rice traders to make good with his campaign promise to bring down the price of rice.

He said the P20 per kilogram target is an “aspiration” for his administration, but he would not push for it at the expense of local farmers, assuaging concerns from some farmers that this target will kill their livelihood.

Dar said one way that Marcos could consider doing to slash the price of rice is through ramping up the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority (NFA), which is currently at a low 300 thousand metric tons or seven days worth due to limited budget.

“The aspiration of our incoming President Bongbong Marcos is such a very laudable aspiration, as any Filipino would like to have low-priced rice sa ating merkado. Ako nakikisama doon sa balakin na ito, meaning dapat managinip tayo at magdisenyo po tayo ng programa towards that level of rice price,” Dar said.

The prevailing price of commercial rice in the national capital region ranges between P37 for regular milled rice and P50 for premium rice, according to data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) as of Thursday.

Earlier, agrarian reform secretary Bernie Cruz said that bringing down the cost of production for palay from P12 to P9, which will help reach Marcos’ goal to bring rice prices down to P20, is possible by establishing mega farms.

Marcos Jr. has not yet announced his agriculture secretary, although he recently nominated ABONO Party-list Congressman Conrado Estrella III to be his agrarian reform chief.

(MM | With reports from Maricel Halili, News 5)

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