Quezon 1st district Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga (Contributed photo)

Heightened price monitoring on rice will help determine who are manipulating the price of Filipino staple food to the detriment of both farmers and consumers.

Quezon 1st district Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, a co-chairman of the House quinta-committee (quinta-comm), had this to say as he brought attention to the upcoming rice harvest season approaching from March to May.

To prevent further manipulation, Enverga proposed a real-time digital price monitoring system to make farm gate prices transparent and accessible. 

“Dapat may malinaw na presyuhan para hindi maloko ang mga magsasaka. Kung may tracking ng presyo sa merkado, makikita natin agad kung sino ang nandadaya (There must be a clear pricing mechanism so as not to dupe the farmers. If we track prices in the market, we will immediately see who is manipulating them)," he said.

The quinta-comm, also known as the Murang Pagkain Super-committee, had been tasked by House Speaker Martin Romualdez to find ways to keep prices of rice and other food products affordable.

In a previous hearing this year, the joint panel highlighted the huge difference between the farm gate price of palay (unhusked rice) and retail prices of the staple grain when it reaches the market. 

This suggests that there are shenanigans going on somewhere in the supply chain. 

“Kailangang tiyakin natin na patas ang kita ng ating mga magsasaka habang abot-kaya ang presyo para sa mamimili (We need to ensure that farmers get fair earnings while consumers get fair prices),” Enverga emphasized. 

The ranking solon said that in past harvest seasons, particularly last September to October, some farmers were reportedly forced to sell their palay at ₱14 to ₱18 per kilogram—far below sustainable levels. 

Recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that the average farm gate price of dry palay stood at ₱20.69 per kilogram in January 2025. Still, without stricter enforcement, unscrupulous traders may again take advantage of the upcoming harvest season by suppressing prices.

Enverga urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA) to step up monitoring and actively intervene in price stabilization. 

He suggested that the NFA purchase at least 20 percent of locally produced rice this harvest season to secure fairer prices for farmers. 

“Kung bibili ang NFA ng mas malaking bahagi ng ani, hindi madaling madidiktahan ng traders ang presyo. Kapag may kumpetisyon sa pagbili, sigurado ang kita ng magsasaka (If NFA purchases a bigger share of the harvest, the traders won't be able to dictate the prices. Competition ensures earnings for the farmers)," the lawmaker explained.