MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that the Philippines has enough rice supplies, but existing problems were caused by lapses in distribution systems.
In a speech for a rice distribution program in Camarines Sur on Saturday, Marcos said that gaps in distribution were a cause for problems in rice supplies.
“There are still many things lacking in distribution. We have plenty of rice, but it is not distributed properly, that is why rice supply is not a problem in the Philippines. The Department of Agriculture said that the harvest for this year will be more abundant compared to the previous years, so the production side is well,” Marcos said.
Marcos likewise said that the present rice cycle system from planting to distribution will also have to be reassessed.
“We need to fix the system from planting, research and development, processing, distribution, marketing, to retail,” he added.
Recently, Marcos approved a price cap on regular and well-milled rice to combat the rising prices, P41 per kilogram and P45 per kilogram, respectively. (Adrian Parungao © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
