PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday said the government continues to work to bring down the price of rice to P20 a kilo, a promise that he made during the 2022 presidential election campaign.
The President said the government has stepped up efforts to improve the supply chain efficiency and make food and other essential commodities affordable, especially in the provinces.
“Kaya’t siguro naman ‘yung P20, siguro down the road mapapaabot natin ‘yan. (We will reach the P20 per kilo down the road),” he said during his visit to the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija.
Prior to the event, the President said in a radio interview that NFA rice is now being sold at P22 to P25 per kilo in some Kadiwa ng Pangulo centers.
Marcos said more affordable food products would be more accessible to the public, not just in Kadiwa centers, as the government is also pursuing efforts not just to uplift the plight of all farmers but also to make the country less dependent on imported products.
“Darating [ang] oras na hindi lang tayo sa Kadiwa nakakaramdam ng mababang presyo kung hindi sa lahat na ng mga palengke, dahil marami na tayong supply, marami na tayong produksyon. Hindi na tayo umaasa sa importation lamang (Time will come that low priced products will not be limited to Kadiwa only but in all markets because we have enough supply and production. We will no longer depend in imports),” he said.
Marcos said the government will establish more Kadiwa ng Pangulo centers in the country to help local producers earn higher income by eliminating intermediaries and, at the same time, allow consumers to buy agricultural products and other goods at lower prices.
There are now more than 300 Kadiwa centers nationwide, with the first center launched last February 27 in Cebu City.
The President said that there are now ongoing reforms in the Department of Agriculture, which he said has started to improve agricultural areas and identify and solve issues hounding the agricultural sector.
RESEARCH
The President, during his visit to Nueva Ecija, talked of the importance of research and development and the use of new technologies to improve the agricultural sector and make the Philippines “independent.”
Marcos, who is the concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), also viewed several agricultural machineries such as tractors, harvesters, dryers, technologies, and products currently on display inside the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) that are being used for agricultural productivity in Nueva Ecija, which is known as the “rice granary” in the country.
He likewise renewed his commitment to develop the agriculture sector to boost the economy and ensure food security.
He said that if agricultural production is not good, the economy will have a hard time recovering.
The President also highlighted the need for the country to develop its capability to produce its own farm machinery like what is being done at the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) in collaboration with foreign partners.
PhilMech, he said, has locally manufactured machineries for planting, cultivation, harvesting, as well as those intended for post-production.
EL NINO AFFECTS AGRI
The President said that with the looming El Niño, the government is continuously crafting plans and measures to ensure sufficient supply of water such as redesigning dam construction, solar power use, as well as using research and development (R&D) to determine how to increase agricultural productivity.
He said, as an example, the government determines which seeds or plants are best to be planted during the dry season and during the wet season.
Marcos said the government has also stepped up its efforts to convert the country’s dependence on water supply from underground water to surface water, which is timely amid the weather phenomenon.
He said he recently signed an executive order creating a Water Management Office (WMO) which will also help deal with the country’s water crisis.
