9 hours Ago
ANGELES CITY — The government’s plan to sell P20 per kilo rice nationwide will not be sustainable if farmers don’t get enough government support to increase their yield, Senate candidate Kiko Pangilinan said Wednesday. The Department of Agriculture earlier announced it will sell P20 per kilo rice in certain areas in the Visayas as a pilot run, then go on to sell it nationwide until the end of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.'s term in 2028.
P20 per kilo rice was a campaign promise Marcos made in 2022, though after the election he clarified that it was an "aspiration." “Obviously, hindi marami ang makikinabang diyan," Pangilinan said in an interview. "Ang susi pa rin diyan eventually is paano yung papalawigin ‘yung ani ng ating mga farmers, para magkaroon ng sapat na supply.
Kasi hindi bumababa ang presyo ng bigas dahil nga kulang ang supply.” (Not a lot of people will benefit there. The key is to find a way to help our farmers increase their yield so that there will be sufficient supply, because rice prices are not going down due to lack of supply.
) “For starters, at least may mga makikinabang [some will benefit]. Pero I think it's a stop-gap measure. We must be able to address ‘yung root causes.
Bakit hindi productive ang farmers? Bakit hindi maganda ang ani? Bakit kulang ang government support sa mga rice farmers para makapag-produce ng sapat? ‘Yun pa rin ang pinakasusi,” Pangilinan, who served as the food security czar during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III from 2014 to 2015, said. (Why are the farmers not productive? Why is their yield not in the best shape? Why is there not enough government support for them to produce enough? That is still the key.) Pangilinan then said that while lowered rice prices are most welcome, the P20 per kilo rice price is not sustainable as it could compromise other government responses in terms of aiding the farmers in increasing their yield.
“Lower rice prices will be workable in the long run, pero baka hindi sustainable ‘yung P20 per kilo [P20 per kilo may not be sustainable]. Maybe a little higher [than that]. We cannot have a P60 per kilo.
We can bring that down, but not down to P20. Anything lower, P40, 45, 30 per kilo will still be beneficial,” he said. “What is important is that the government should be able to buy directly from farmers at a competitive price to bring down the rice prices.
If you buy from the farmers at the right prices, you get rid of middlemen who rig the prices,” he said. “The government will also be able to save a lot in buying directly from the farmers because it will be cheaper than the rice supply sold commercially in the market,” he added. Likewise, Pangilinan also urged the government to crack down on unscrupulous traders who buy farmers’ produce at a very low price only to resell it at an exorbitant price.
“We should run after these unscrupulous traders because they are committing economic sabotage. Sampahan natin ng kaso, para matakot, maturuan ng leksyon. Remember, economic sabotage is non-bailable.
Dapat sampulan itong mga nagsasamantala,” Pangilinan said. (We should file cases against them to send a message that we are not playing around here. We have to make an example of these opportunists.
) — BM, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite . For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite ..
