A downward trend in rice prices was observed during a market visit on September 11, 2024, led by DA Assistant Secretary for Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, together with House Speaker Martin Romualdez, ACT-CIS Party-list Representative Erwin Tulfo, and DTI and Philippine Rice Industry stakeholders Movement (PRISM) officials. The visit included stops at Guadalupe Market, Farmers Market, and Nepa Q Mart, where well-milled rice was available as low as P45 per kilo.

“Nakita naming factor dito iyong pagbaba ng taripa from 35 percent to 15 percent. Natutuwa po iyong mga retailers at consumers natin. Meron silang aasahan na P42-45 per kilo,” said Orly Manuntag of PRISM, a large group of rice traders in the Philippines.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez also welcomed this positive development and emphasized that food security has always been a top priority of the Marcos administration.

Meanwhile, DA Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra noted that, under the leadership of Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr., additional farm inputs have been provided to increase production and eventually lower the prices of other basic commodities by next year.

Last July, citing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s Executive Order 62 which cut tariff rates on rice from 35 percent to 15 percent, DA Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the public may start to feel lower rice retail prices on August as imported rice with lower tariffs started coming in.

Also in July, the DA launched the P29 Rice Program, a trial initiative allowing vulnerable sectors—such as senior citizens, single parents, persons with disabilities, and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) recipients—to purchase rice at P29 per kilo. Building on its success, the “Rice-for-All” program was introduced in August at selected Kadiwa sites to provide broader access to affordable rice for all Filipinos, with well-milled rice available to the general public at P45 per kilo. ### (Ira Cruz, DA-AFID)