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The National Food Authority (NFA) made it clear to the House Committee on Agriculture and Food that there will be challenges in the prices of rice this December. 

“We hope to get alternative sources and expand supply, and then cost hopefully, later on, will be tempered by the additional supply. Although we know that prices in the world market [are] going to be very, very tough for our consumers,” said NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco. 

The NFA and the Department of Agriculture (DA) were called to a briefing of the agriculture panel Wednesday, Dec. 6, amid rising prices of rice and chicken eggs going into the holiday season. 

Deputy Majority Leader and ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo, in particular, expressed his concern over the unfulfilled promise of lowered prices for the goods. 

Rice prices are on an uptick, fluctuating between P52 and P60 per kilo. 

“Whatever happened to that, [DA] or NFA, doon sa promise na bababa [ang presyo ng bigas], and people were waiting, tapos wala rin. Whatever happened to that? Bakit hindi po bumaba?” asked Tulfo. 

(There was a promise that the price of rice would go down, and people were waiting, then there was nothing. Whatever happened to that? Why didn't it decrease?) 

Bioco cited several factors in the continued surge in prices, which include a shortfall in production between 2021 and 2022, low fertilizer uptake among farmers affecting yields, import parity being higher than the landed cost, and international factors such as Indonesia's announcement to buy two million tons of rice. 

Following the instructions of President Marcos, the NFA did not chase after local prices since it would only aggravate price pressure. 

“That already happened this year in Indonesia, wherein they increased twice their minimum buying price from the farmers, and yet they were only able to buy less than five percent of their target,” noted Bioco. 

The NFA chief told the lawmakers that they plan to prevent the upward trend in prices by shifting from traditional import partners in Vietnam and Thailand and instead seeking alternative rice supply. 

At present, their target partner is India. 

“The talks are already ongoing, we’re going to have initial shipments from India within this month of December. But there’s still some resistance because of the perception Indian rice quality is inferior and would not match Vietnam and Thailand,” Bioco said. 

“Together with the renewed interest to import…hopefully we can keep the prices stable too, as an effect,” he added. --Dexter Barro II