Marcos’ P20/kilo rice promise uncertain

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

With the skyrocketing cost of goods and services in the country, the P20 per kilo of rice promised by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during his campaign remains uncertain, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel expressed his reservations about the feasibility of Marcos’ promise in an interview with Daily Guardian.

“We are studying how to achieve that. But of course, I cannot promise anything now. I cannot say that we can have it in the administration of Marcos Jr.,” he said. He highlighted the significant impact of high market prices, particularly for fuel and logistics.

“If everything will normalize, maybe that would be possible,” he added.

Despite the challenges, Tiu-Laurel emphasized that the DA, alongside the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), is implementing measures to help reduce rice prices.

He noted the P29 program, which involves the sale of aging but good-quality rice to the vulnerable sector.

Another initiative of the DA is the Rice for All Program, which aims to offer rice at Kadiwa centers for prices ranging from P45 to P48 per kilo starting this July.

Tiu-Laurel mentioned plans to expand the P29 program to Western Visayas in November this year.

NIA Administrator Engr. Eduardo Eddie Guillen stressed that the president’s promise also involves increasing farmers’ production.

“What we need to realize in that promise is that the president does not just want to lower the price of rice but also to help farmers increase their yield,” he said.

Guillen noted that the NIA and DA are currently studying the value chain of rice production to ensure that farmers still gain profit even after they harvest and sell their products.

“In the economies of scale production, we are converting our irrigator associations into cooperatives,” he said. He explained that in converting them to cooperatives, the DA is providing rice processing systems to allow farmers to process rice husks themselves.

“They will not sell palay but rice. In that way, we can increase farmers’ income and lower the price of rice because it reduces the role of middlemen,” he highlighted.