NEDA backs new agri chief: P20/kilo rice not yet feasible

THE P20 per kilo of rice promised by President Marcos Jr. during his 2022 presidential campaign is not feasible yet, but the Marcos administration is on the right track in providing affordable rice to consumers, an official from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) yesterday said.

NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon, in a briefing after a sectoral meeting in Malacañang, made the statement a day after newly-appointed Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that the cheap price of rice is “not possible today.”

Edillon said an assessment study made by the NEDA showed that there are still a lot of improvements needed in the agricultural sector to be able to realize the P20/kilo of rice.

She said the President has already Marcos acknowledged that a lot still needs to be done and improvements have to be made, especially on the areas of research and development (R&D), irrigation, and the consolidation and clustering of farms, before his government can deliver on his campaign promise.

“So talagang ano, at this time, hindi pa talaga pupuwede. (So, at this time, it is not yet possible),” Edillon said, adding that going forward, “we can attain that”.

Apart from bringing down the price of rice to P20 per kilo, Edillon said part of the President’s commitment is to ensure the food security and value chain in the country even amid challenges like the onslaught of the El Niño.

EL NIÑO

Edillon said the President has ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) to intensify support to provinces less affected by the El Niño phenomenon that would allow them to increase food production, as well as to provide seeds and plants that do not demand much water in areas that will be heavily affected by the dry spell.

She said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) would provide the DA with the list of provinces that would be least affected by the dry spell such as those in Mindanao, the Visayas and eastern portion of Luzon and those that would be heavily affected.

Edillon said the administration also vowed to continued assistance to the most vulnerable sectors even as inflation eased in October. The Philippine