DA: Rice the biggest challenge in 2024

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. acknowledged that rice was the biggest issue in 2024 and is still the top challenge in 2025.

- By BELLA CARIASO

"Basically, it is still rice, because we are rice-centric and because of the clamor of the people," Tiu Laurel admitted.

He added that bringing the price of regular and well-milled rice down is another great challenge for the Department of Agriculture (DA) in 2025, as the steep price of the staple this year was a major contributor to the increase in the inflation rate in the country.

In an effort to bring down the retail price of rice by at least P7 per kilo, President Marcos has issued Executive Order (EO) 62, which lowered the tariff on rice to 15 percent from the previous 35.

Five months after the implementation of the EO in July this year, the retail price of rice is still high as it is sold for as much as P64 per kilo despite the flood of the staple, with the DA expecting at least 4.7 million metric tons of imported rice before the end of the year.

Tiu Laurel said that the high retail price of rice has forced the DA to intervene by selling P40 per kilo of rice in Metro Manila markets and Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit stations under the Rice-for-All program, with at least 10 Metro Manila markets and four LRT and MRT stations selling the staple for less.

"There is positive reception in the markets for consumers. However, market masters in other markets don't want to cooperate," he lamented.

The agriculture chief personally talked to the mayors in Metro Manila to get their support for the P40 per kilo of rice program in the markets.

"Eight mayors agreed to be onboard. We still have another six mayors who vowed to talk to their respective market masters to allow us to bring the Kadiwa ng Pangulo Rice-for-All program to the markets," he said.

Among the cities that agreed to allow the sale of P40 per kilo of rice in the markets include Quezon City, Pasay, Caloocan, Manila, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Malabon and Makati.