THE Department of Agriculture (DA) yesterday said it aims to lower the price of rice to P30 per kilogram by July.
DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa was asked if the P30 rice price in July is achievable after House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that it is possible.
“Ito naman ay ginagawa na ng National Irrigation Administration, Kadiwa dahil meron silang tinatawag nating contract farming,” De Mesa told “Unang Balita” in an interview.
In contract farming between the National Food Authority (NFA) and farmers’ cooperatives, De Mesa said the production inputs will be subsidized by the government.
“In return ay ibebenta nila ‘yung palay sa NFA. Sigurado tayo na mas magiging mura ‘yung production input at dahil dito ay merong pagkakataon talaga na maibenta ng mas mura sa pamilihan ‘yung palay,” he added.
On Sunday, the DA said the price of local regular milled rice was P50 per kilo, and P48 to P55 per kilo for local well-milled rice.
As for imported commercial rice, the regular milled rice was priced at P48 to P51 per kilo, while well-milled rice was at P51 to P54.
‘Larger 2024 Rice Harvest’
The DA earlier said that more rice may be harvested this year compared to last year despite the El Niño phenomenon’s effects on the country.
De Mesa said they expected 20.4 million metric tons of rice to be harvested in 2024, compared to the 20.06 million metric tons reaped in 2023.
“Inaasahan natin na mas malaki ang ating harvest ngayong taon. Kasi nga last year ay 20 [million metric tons], ngayon ay 20.4 [million metric tons]. Inaasahan natin ngayong wet season, mas mataas din ang ating inaasahang harvest,” the DA spokesperson said.
However, De Mesa noted that the country’s rice harvest slightly decreased during the first quarter of the year by 100,000 metric tons.
“‘Yun ay napakaliit. Less than 1% [that is very small, only less than 1%],” he said, adding that the loss can be “easily” augmented through importation. He said the country had already imported 1.6 million metric tons of rice.
De Mesa was also confident that the Philippines’ rice supply was enough for now.
The recorded losses in agriculture caused by the El Niño were also covered by the government’s expected losses annually.
According to the Agriculture official, the El Niño back in 1997 to 1998 affected 370,000 hectares. This year, he said the DA projects 120,000 hectares of losses, but only about 58,000 hectares have been damaged so far. (GMA Integrated News)
