By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday disclosed that the government is looking at the implementation of a floor price for palay to boost the income of farmers and to prevent local traders from taking advantage of farmers.
Marcos made the remark during a brief dialogue with farmers in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to support local farmers and ensure they earn a decent living.
According to the President, the proposed floor pricing system for rice is patterned after a similar system for tobacco in Ilocos Norte.
“Kagaya sa tobacco, doon sa amin sa Ilocos, may floor price. So never bababa doon sa floor price. So, pinag-aaralan naming magkaroon ng floor price para wala namang malugi,” he said.
The government is currently buying palay from farmers at P19 to P24 per kilo, higher than the P11 to P16 per kilo set by traders.
“Doon sa P19 saka P24, medyo makakabawi na—ready na kayo sa next planting season,” Marcos told farmers, emphasizing increased government support through agricultural machinery and other interventions to boost production.
‘Watch me sustain it’
In an interview with the media following the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday night, the Chief Executive assured the public that the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) na” program of the administration will be sustained until 2028—countering the claims of his detractors that the program is merely for show.
“Tinitiyak natin na ang presyo ng pagbili sa farmers ay magandang presyo naman para naman ‘yong farmers natin, maganda ang kanilang hanapbuhay,” he said.
According to Marcos, the government “found a way” to sustain the sale of P20 per kilo rice and reiterated that the three-year delay in the program’s rollout was due to the system being unable to support it at the time.
He added that negotiations with other countries are also underway to ensure affordability of rice to Filipino consumers.
“Watch me sustain it. And then, we’ll talk in May of 2028, [kung] natuloy ba o hindi,” Marcos said.
“Kahit anong mangyari down the road, nagawa na ngayon natin. Wala tayong ganoon. Ngayon, mayroon na. Kaya’t kaya na nating gawin ‘yung P20.” (with report from Clay Pardilla and Kenneth Paciente / PTV News)
-av
