Among the many food products, Filipinos are most concerned with rice, the staple food that completes every meal.  This grain is so important that it has become a political commodity: every administration’s performance is gauged in part on how it manages the supply and prices of the various rice varieties, especially the ones most popular with the masses.

The Filipinos’ high expectations about the Marcos administration’s handling of rice issues — its supply, prices, quality and stock — may be traced to the fact that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is also the agriculture secretary, and he has vowed to remain holding the position in concurrent capacity until such time that the many problems hounding the Department of Agriculture (DA) have been solved.

Many Filipinos are also hoping that the President would be able to deliver on his campaign promise of reducing the price of rice to ₱20 per kilo, from the current ₱35 to ₱49 a kilo.

PBBM watchers saw a glimmer of hope recently during the inauguration of a provincial Kadiwa store, where President Marcos announced that the government is nearing its target of slashing rice prices in the regular markets, not just in Kadiwa.

In answer to the concerns raised by the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and  Bantay Bigas  that a shortage of the staple grain could occur during the lean months of July to September 2023, Marcos met with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) and the Philippine Rice Stakeholders Movement (PRISM) in Malacañang early this week.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, the President called the meeting to discuss with stakeholders the status of the rice industry and measures to ensure sufficient rice supply in the country.  Following the meeting, the President declared that “the rice situation is manageable and stable. There is enough rice for the Philippines up to and after the El Niño next year.”

Assuming that our farmers only maintain present production levels, the projected ending stock for 2023 is 1.96 million metric tons (MMT), enough to last for 52 days, Agriculture Undersecretary Merceditas Sombillo said.

She explained that the ending stock projection based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority presents an even better scenario as the ending stock is projected at 2.12 MMT, which would last for 57 days.  Palay harvest season usually runs from September until November.

With a population of 108.66 million Filipinos, the country's total annual consumption would amount to 12.9 MMT, said the Department of Agriculture in a report.  According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, a Filipino consumes a total of 118.81 kilos of rice annually on average.  This is equivalent to 325.5 grams of milled rice daily.

PRISM lead convenor Rowena del Rosario-Sadicon was satisfied with the positive outcome of the meeting, adding the public may be assured that there would be enough rice supply until the end of the year.  The agriculture group of the PSAC which is composed of leading entrepreneurs and tycoons in the food industry meanwhile thanked the President for his pro-active initiative to periodically check on the supply of rice to avert any problems.

Present-day disruptions in the supply chain, such as India’s decision to ban the export of its non-basmati white rice, triggering worries about a forthcoming increase in the grain’s international prices, all point to the timely need for the Philippines to ramp up production. 

We are confident that the DA, under President Marcos, is working along this strategy.