PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday said his government continues to try to bring down the price of rice to P20 a kilo, and one of the ways of achieving this is for the national government to expand the operations of “Kadiwa” nationwide.
The Kadiwa centers, which sell basic commodities at prices lower than the regular markets or stores, are currently being operated by local government units. An initial 14 centers started operating this month but most are in Metro Manila.
The President, in a chance interview at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Laguna, said the recent opening of many Kadiwa stores nationwide has lowered the prices of commodities in the market.
“The P20 (per kilo of rice) was really the goal. The dream is paabutin natin ng P20… we are going to widen the scope of the Kadiwa… ginawa na naming national program. Sinama na natin lahat-lahat nung mga Kadiwa. I’m hoping that we can — we will see some adjustment in prices for Christmas and it looks like, baka naman swertihin tayo [The P20 per kilo of rice was really the goal. The dream is to reach P20. We are trying to do… we are going to widen the scope of the Kadiwa… we made it a national program. We included everything in Kadiwa. I’m hoping that we can — we will see some adjustment in prices for Christmas and it looks like we might get lucky),” he said.
Rice is sold for as low as P25 per kilo in Kadiwa markets, P5 higher than his campaign promise, while the average commercial rice is sold for at least P40 a kilo.
The President reaffirmed his commitment to ensure food security in the country as he urged stakeholders to support the government’s efforts to elevate the condition of the Philippine rice industry and push for sustainable rice value chains.
Marcos welcomed technologies available at the IRRI that are applicable and usable in the country’s setting.
He said it is now up to the government to ensure that these technologies would reach farmers and the rest of the grassroots and eventually pave the way for the modernization of the rice sector as part of a vibrant agri-food industry in the Philippines.
Among initiatives presented to Marcos are improving crop resilience such as direct seeding of rice, and reducing labor and cost of rice production while significantly lowering water use and greenhouse gas emissions.
The President was also shown the Laser Land Leveling (LLL) – a laser-guided mechanized system to redistribute soil across a field for a leveled and uniform cultivation area, which significantly improves water and input efficiency and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions of paddy farming; a solar bubble dryer that helps eliminate losses from traditional sun drying; and a hermetic storage system wherein airtight seed storage containers in various sizes help reduce oxygen and moisture penetration, minimizing losses from insects and rot and helping preserve grain quality for longer.
“Maganda ang naging resulta nitong bisita ay marami tayong nakita na meron sila bagong technologies that are completely appropriate to the Philippine setting so nabigyan kami ng pag-asa… it’s up to us now in the Philippine government to make sure those technologies, those products go down to the grassroots (The trip had good results. We saw many new technologies that are completely appropriate to the Philippine setting so we were given hope… it’s up to us now in the Philippine government to make sure those technologies, those products go down to the grassroots),” he said.
Marcos said the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and conflict between Russia and Ukraine has reminded the world of “how fundamental” the agriculture sector and food supply is not just to the Philippines but to the entire world.
The President, who is the concurrent Agriculture secretary and an ex-officio member of IRRI’s board of trustees, meanwhile, said he has a list of things that he wants to accomplish in the department before he appoints the secretary.
He said he has a list of potential agricultural secretaries but it keeps on changing, depending on developments in the industry. He did not say what the things he wants to accomplish during his term nor the list of candidates for his successor at DA.
Marcos assumed the agriculture portfolio to improve government response, especially amid a possible food crisis, and ensure quick decisions involving the industry.
