DA chief: P20/kilo rice ‘not possible today’

NEWLY-appointed Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel Jr. yesterday said that President Marcos Jr.’s campaign promise to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo is “not possible” yet due to spikes in global market pricing.

But Laurel was quick to add that the government’s thrust to modernize the country’s agricultural sector will help in making the price of rice more affordable in the country.

“Today, it is not possible, but with the directive of the President to modernize, irrigate and use right seeds, mechanize… We are getting ready to do our best to try and make rice affordable,” Laurel said in his first press conference as secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Laurel’s appointment was announced last Friday by Marcos, who concurrently acted as DA secretary while he picked the department’s chief. He used to own food conglomerate Frabelle Corp. and was also one of the top donors to Marcos’ presidential campaign.

Laurel said: “The P20 per kilo was an aspiration. The problem now, we are now in a 15-year high in the world market. The previous $230 per ton from Vietnam is at $700 per ton today.”

He likewise conceded that it is “hard to say” whether the P20 per kilo price of rice will be achieved within the Marcos administration, stressing that its movement is dictated by global events.

“It’s hard to say. The problem now of the world is it’s so complicated. There’s climate change, El Niño is now here, and it will continue until the middle of next year. Anything can happen. We also don’t know if a war will break out in another part of the world. We don’t know if another ship will block the Suez Canal. It is possible to lower the price, but we need to have our silos, we have to have buffer stock and we have to change some laws, I believe,” he said.

Laurel said the President’s marching order to him was to increase production across all agriculture sectors, particularly on rice.

“Basically, ang directive ni President Marcos is to increase production in almost all sectors ng agrikultura, all commodities. But of course, may special emphasis sa bigas — modernize, irrigate, fertilize, and use the right type of seeds as soon as possible (Basically, the