00:00 It may not be a bumper yield, but given the calamities that struck and all the inundation
00:05 that laid massive waste on crops, a 3%-plus yield for the first half in the staple grain
00:10 production is nothing to sneeze at and comes as a harbinger of better things to come in
00:15 governments' push toward rice efficiency and food security.
00:18 Naomi Toborchow has more.
00:23 President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. warned rice price manipulators and those involved in rice
00:28 hoarding.
00:29 The president insists the supply of rice in the country is sufficient, but the prices
00:33 in the market is inconsistent.
00:35 According to the DA, the cheapest type of rice is sold at P38-40 per kilo, but others
00:41 charge up to P50 per kilo.
00:44 Because of this, the president has instructed DA and DTI to strictly monitor the price of
00:49 rice in different markets in the country.
00:51 The government is also working with the private sector to ensure the availability of sufficient
00:56 supply of affordable rice in public markets and kaniwa stores.
01:01 Following President Marcos Jr.'s sectoral meeting yesterday with the NFA, DA, DTI, and
01:06 PITC, the chief executive acknowledged the growth in rice production in the first half
01:11 of 2023.
01:12 In Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban's report, from 8.7 million metric
01:18 tons in 2021 and 2022, palay output increased to 9 million metric tons this year, equivalent
01:26 to a 3 percent growth.
01:27 It is also higher than the projection of the DA and the Philippine Rice Information System.
01:32 The president says this is a significant step to ensure sufficient supply of rice until
01:37 the end of 2023, despite the effects of Super Typhoon Egay.
01:42 According to Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development, Nicodyo Sebastian,
01:47 if there will be no more harmful typhoons, the country's rice production or output will
01:51 reach 20 million metric tons for the whole of 2023.
01:56 According to the PCO, the increase in production answers the speculation regarding the shortage
02:00 of rice supply, and to further increase the supply, 300,000 metric tons of imported rice
02:06 is expected to arrive this month.
02:09 Nayomi Tiburcio for The Nation.
