The Department of Agriculture (DA) has promised to help farmers lower their production costs in order to address the increasing market prices of rice.
DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said that the department is working closely with rice farmers, as prices have risen to as much as P5 per kilogram.
The department plans to distribute machinery and post-harvest facilities to assist farmers in reducing their costs of production.
"Tinitingnan ng ating kagawaran kung paano ba natin sila matutulungan kung paano pababain ‘yung kanilang cost of production. ‘Yung ating distribution po ng ating machinery not only for production po, but also for post-harvest facilities din po," she said.
Higher agricultural input costs and climate change have contributed to the rise in farm gate and market prices, according to Evangelista.
The Philippines is not the only rice-producing nation affected by the mounting production costs, as prices have also increased in other countries like Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan.
The market price of well-milled rice in the Philippines has increased to PHP42-43 per kilo, which is higher than the previous PHP37-38 per kilo.
However, the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) expects a lower market price of rice for the next harvest due to a decline in input cost.
"‘Yung next season, we hope na itong October to December, pababa na ‘yung presyo kasi ‘yung pataba e bumaba na rin," SINAG chairperson Rosendo So said.
Around 60% of the production cost comes from farm input expenditures, which contributes to the movement of farm-gate and market prices.
