Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 1) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s campaign promise to bring down the price of rice to as little as ₱20 per kilogram is achievable, but not anytime soon.
“As of now parang hindi pa natin maaachieve, but in the long run, pag talagang gumanda ang ating productivity – and that is what DA is really aiming for, what government is aiming for – posible yan na bababa,” DA undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla said on Tuesday.
[Translation: As of now, it seems like we can’t achieve it, but in the long run, when productivity has improved – and that is what DA is really aiming for, what government is aiming for – prices can really go down.]
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Sombilla added a lot of factors are contributing to the current prices of the staple, including the cost of fertilizers and fuel, as well as back-to-back typhoons and the effects of El Niño.
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The president — who’s also agriculture secretary — promised last year to bring down rice prices to ₱20 per kilogram. A year on, data from the DA shows prices of the staple are at ₱36 to ₱60 a kilogram depending on the variety.
