The price of regular- and well-milled rice may drop at P45 to P48 per kilogram as the country approaches the peak harvest season, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said they are monitoring a decline in retail prices, although the prevailing price range is still at P49/kg. to P50/kg. in Metro Manila.
“It’s slowly dropping, we are seeing P40 plus/kg level. That level is possible. We are looking at it and our harvest is okay),” he said in a radio interview.
De Mesa said the El Niño phenomenon has minimal effects on the country’s harvest season, which is expected from March to April.
It has accounted for 14,000 hectares of damaged rice farms so far, or only 1.5 percent of the total area allotted for rice.
To date, around 728,000MT of imported rice have entered the country. The DA further said it is aiming to achieve more than 90 percent rather than 100 percent, rice self-sufficiency by the end of the current administration. De Mesa said the DA is aiming to maximize productivity.
De Mesa said the Philippines’ rice sufficiency level currently stands between 86% and 88%. “Our target is 95% to 97% by the end of this administration.” he said. For now, the Philippines has to rely on importation to ensure ample supply.
The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) mea while has distributed over 26,400 farm equipment units in the past four years, benefiting nearly one million Filipino farmers.
Philmech director Dionisio G. Alvindia unde scored to agency’s commitment not only to deliver equipment, but also provide training to ensure farmers The distributed equipment includes land preparation machines that help farmers efficiently prepare their land for planting.
Philmech also donated seeders and fertilizer applicators which are important technologies that support planting and early growth stages.
Furthermore, harvesting and threshing equipment were also given to farmer groups to streamline the process of collecting and separating rice grains from the stalks, as well as drying facilities and technologies.