The Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla admitted on Tuesday that the promise to reduce the price of rice to ₱20 per kilo may not be realized soon due to several challenges faced by the agriculture sector.
The campaign pledge of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to achieve ₱20 per kilo of rice is dependent on improvements in rice production.
"As of now, parang hindi pa natin iyan maa-achieve. But you know, in the long run, kapag talagang gumanda ang ating productivity–and that is what DA is really aiming for ‘no, the government is aiming for," said the DA official during a Palace briefing.
Undersecretary Sombilla mentioned that the government, particularly the DA, is working towards enhancing productivity, in the long run, to make the promise achievable.
However, she acknowledged the current obstacles, such as increasing fertilizer and fuel costs, El Niño, and consecutive typhoons, which hinder the immediate realization of the target price.
"But posible iyan na bababa. Pero sa mga nangyayari ngayon – fertilizer cost, fuel cost tapos itong mga El Niño, back-to-back typhoons natin… hindi natin makikita iyan in the short run," she added.
Marcos, who concurrently heads the Department of Agriculture, made the promise to lower the price of rice to ₱20 per kilo during his 2022 presidential campaign.
In March, the President stated that the government was close to fulfilling his campaign pledge, with Kadiwa stores nationwide selling rice at ₱25 per kilo.
Likewise, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin expressed confidence that the government's efforts to increase rice production in key regions will lead to the eventual fulfillment of President Marcos' promise of ₱20 per kilo of rice.
