Marcos: Palay prices won’t go down further

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. over the weekend assured farmers that prices of palay or unmilled rice will not decline further, as market prices of rice have gone down amid the government’s P20-per-kilogram program.

According to Marcos, the National Food Authority (NFA) will continue to buy palay from farmers at P18 per kilo for fresh or wet, and P19 to P23 per kilo for clean and dry.

“Kahit ano pa ang maging presyo ng bigas, hindi po bababa dito ang pagbili ng NFA sa palay mula sa ating magsasaka,” he said in a vlog released Sunday.

(No matter what the price of rice is, the NFA’s buying price of palay from farmers will not decline.)

Just last week, farmers in Mangaldan, Pangasinan reported that wet palay was being sold at P9 to P10 per kilo, while sun-dried palay seels for just P14 to P15 per kilo, down from P18 to P24 per kilo last year. The NFA in May also said it monitored palay prices as low as P11.50 per kilo, and some other areas with buying prices reported at P13 to P15 per kilo.

“Ang dahilan kung bakit kayang baratin ng mga trader ang pagbili ng palay sa ating mga magsasaka, dahil wala silang mga processing kaya’t basa ang hawak nilang palay. Napipilitan sila na ipagbili kaagad ito kung ano mang presyo ang binibigay sa kaniya ng trader,” Marcos said.

(The reason that traders are able to shortchange farmers in buying palay is because they do not have processing, which is why they only have wet palay, forcing them to sell these at whatever price the trader dictates.)

“Kaya naman ay nagkakalat po tayo ng mga rice processing plant. Daan daan na mga dryer para ‘yung farmer, meron na siyang dryer, mamimili na siya kung saan niya dadalhin ‘yung tuyo na niya na palay, kaya’t hindi siya mapipilitan maipagbili ‘yung kaniyang palay kung anong presyo ang binibigay sa kaniya ng trader,” he added.

(This is why we are spreading rice processing plants. Hundreds of dryers for farmers so that farmers will be able to choose where they sell their dry palay, and they will no longer be forced to sell their palay at prices dictated by traders.)

In a separate statement, Senator and former Agriculture Secretary Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan called on the NFA and local government units (LGUs) to immediately buy palay and other produce from farmers at fair market prices, and to activate the Sagip Saka Law which allows them to procure without public bidding.

“P13 kada kilo ang palay? Eh nasa P14-P15 ang gastos sa produksyon. Ibig sabihin, bawat kilo, lugi ang magsasaka. Hindi tama. Hindi makatao. Hindi makatarungan,” he said.

“Kung hindi pa handa ang NFA, LGUs should step in. May batas. May paraan. May pondo. Gamitin ang Sagip Saka para makabili ng bigas, gulay, at iba pang ani — presyong makatarungan, hindi presyong palugi,” he added.

(Palay at P13 per kilo? Production costs are at P14 to P15. This means that for every kilo, farmers are shortchanged. This is not right. This is not humane. This is unfair.

If the NFA is not yet ready, LGUs should step in. There is a law. There is a way. There are funds. Use the Sagip Saka (Law) to buy rice, vegetables, and other produce — prices that are just, not shortchanged prices.)

The NFA earlier said it procured 14 trucks that will be deployed in areas with low buying prices of palay, and acquire these stocks from farmers to be transported into warehouses with capacity. It plans to buy a total of 90 trucks this year, and a total of 600 trucks by 2028.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in January said the NFA also set to buy at least 300,000 metric tons of rice this year, with optimism that the country will hit a record for palay production.

Under its mandate, the NFA is tasked to maintain sufficient rice buffer stocks to be sourced mainly from local farmers. The agency, for its part, said it is also mandated to keep and dispose of 99.9% of stocks in good and consumable condition. —RF, GMA Integrated News