Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday reported a decline in prices of retail regular and well-milled rice in Metro Manila following talks with market heads. “Doon sa monitoring natin last week hanggang sa ngayon, marami naman iyong sumusunod doon sa (Since our monitoring last week until now, there are many following the range of) PHP42 and PHP45,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in a phone interview.

According to Philippines News Agency, the selling prices provide retailers with a profit margin of PHP3 to PHP5 per kilogram for imported rice under the 15 percent reduced tariff. However, the DA-Bantay Presyo (price monitoring) still recorded the highest price levels of PHP50/kg and PHP54/kg for local and imported regular and well-milled rice as of November 15. De Mesa encouraged retailers to adhere to the agreed profit margins to benefit more Filipino consumers.

De Mesa stated, “Kausap naman natin iyong presidents at vice presidents ng associations ng retailers sa NCR (National Capita
l Region) na kumbaga, nag-agree tayo sa (We are already in touch with presidents and vice presidents of retailers association in the NCR, we agreed with the) profit margin.” He added that continuous dialogue with them is necessary “para maging consistent at ma-sustain itong effort na napagkasunduan (to be consistent and to be able to sustain this agreed efforts).”

He assured similar price levels in December with the implementation of the PHP42/kg Rice for All program in all Kadiwa ng Pangulo sites, where farmers and other food producers sell their products directly to consumers without intermediaries. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. stated that the PHP42/kg level of rice strikes a balance between the needs of stakeholders and consumers. “I think well-milled rice around the PHP42 per kilo will provide a happy balance between our goal of ensuring our farmers get a decent return for their hard work and consumers have access to affordably priced food, especially rice,” he said in a statement.

De Mesa also
noted that the continuous arrival of rice imports, which reached around 3.9 million metric tons (MT) by early November, will help maintain stable rice retail prices and compensate for the decrease in local rice production. “Bagamat malaki iyong losses sa (Despite the huge losses in) rice, this can be easily compensated ng ating (by our) importation… That volume is 300,000 metric tons higher compared to last year,” he added, referencing the 3.6 million MT total rice imports in 2023.

The DA estimated that local palay production has dropped to 19.4 million MT due to the combined effects of the El Niño phenomenon, various weather disturbances, and La Niña, marking a decrease of 600,000 MT from last year’s local rice production of 20 million MT. De Mesa highlighted the importance of implementing a cropping calendar shift next year to mitigate the impacts of climate change on local palay (unhusked rice) output. Recovery efforts and replanting resources are prepared for affected regions while intensified support is
being provided to boost production in unaffected areas.