MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said rice sold at P20 per kilo could come to fruition once the agriculture sector and the cost of production stabilizes and normalizes.
In a statement released by the Presidential Communications Office, Marcos explained that several global factors directly affected the prices of basic commodities in the country, which has prompted both the government and the market to adjust.
Despite this, he insisted that the government could still achieve the P20 per kilo of rice should these factors normalize.
“There’s always a chance — if we manage our production and it goes well, we won’t be hit by too many storms, and the farmers will use the aid extended to them,” Marcos, who is also the concurrent agriculture secretary, told reporters.
The President said it would be easy for the government to adjust once everything normalizes.
“But, when we lower the cost of production, the price of rice will also decrease. Everything will go down. As long as the yield is higher, we can set a better price,” he explained.
Marcos assured the public that the government is exhausting all remedies to ensure that rice prices in the market are affordable to the Filipino people, especially the less privileged.
He noted that there are enough measures to ensure a reasonable buying price for farmers. (Zacarian Sarao © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
