QUEZON CITY (PIA) — A downward trend in rice prices was observed during a market visit on September 11, 2024, led by DA Assistant Secretary for Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, alongside House Speaker Martin Romualdez, ACT-CIS Party-list Representative Erwin Tulfo, and officials from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM). The delegation visited Guadalupe Market, Farmers Market, and Nepa Q Mart, where well-milled rice was being sold for as low as P45 per kilo.
PRISM representative Orly Manuntag attributed the price drop to the recent reduction in tariffs from 35% to 15%. “Retailers and consumers are pleased. They can now expect prices between P42 and P45 per kilo,” Manuntag said.
House Speaker Romualdez welcomed this development, stressing that food security remains a top priority for the Marcos administration.
DA Asec. Velicaria-Guevarra highlighted that, under the leadership of Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr., the Department has provided additional farm inputs to boost agricultural production, aiming to further reduce prices of other basic commodities by next year.
In July, DA Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, citing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s Executive Order 62—which reduced rice tariff rates—announced that consumers would begin to see lower retail prices in August as imported rice with lower tariffs entered the market.
Also in July, the DA launched the P29 Rice Program, a pilot initiative allowing vulnerable sectors, including senior citizens, single parents, persons with disabilities, and 4Ps recipients, to purchase rice at P29 per kilo. Following its success, the “Rice-for-All” program was introduced in August at select Kadiwa sites, offering well-milled rice to the general public at P45 per kilo. (DA/AVS-PIA-NCR/ Photo by DA)
