At the height of the campaign season, president-elect Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. promised to reduce the price of rice to as low as P20 per kilo. But is this possible?
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said he thinks it may take some time before the price of rice is reduced to such lows.
"Tingin ko it might take time kung magagawan ng paraan yung pagsulong sa pagbaba ng cost of production sa pamamagitan ng strong government support," he told DZRH in an interview.
(I think it might take time if something can be done to reduce the cost of production through strong government support.)
According to Lopez, the cost of production is high not only because of the seeds and the mechanization used for production but because of loans made to farmers and other producers.
"Kung may support sa mga production sector in terms of financing, trading tapos 'yung tulong sa abono, tulong sa mga itatanim na mga seeds … kung 'yan ang matutugunan na suporta, mapapababa 'yung cost ng bawat magsasaka natin," he said.
(If there is support for the production sector in terms of financing, trading, and then help in abono, in planting seeds … if that can be addressed with support, the cost for farmers will be lowered.)
Lopez said they have always pushed for more support for the production sector in order to improve productivity and make local products more competitive than imported ones.
"Ito nga yung parati rin naming isinusulong, na talagang matulungan ang production sector natin, whether agriculture or industry, na may tulong mula sa gobyerno para gumanda 'yung productivity, bumaba 'yung mga production cost saka maging competitive versus import," he said.
(This is what we have always been pushing for, to really help the production sector, whether agriculture or industry, with the government's help to improve productivity, lower production cost, and be more competitive versus import.)
"Higit sa lahat, dumami 'yung supply natin para hindi na tayo mag-import … so talagang it might take time, pwedeng trabahuin 'yan."
(Most of all, expand our supply so we do not need to import … so it might take time, but it can be worked on.)
Marcos previously said that his campaign promise of P20 per kilo of rice is the "aspiration."
He said that he is already in talks with other traders on holding prices down for several months.
"I think we will be able to do it. That is the first step," he said.
