Romualdez lauds government efforts to lower rice prices

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Friday praised the government’s recent measures to make rice more affordable, emphasizing the need for sustained reforms to ensure long-term benefits for consumers and farmers alike.

One of the key initiatives, he noted, is the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) declaration of a food security emergency, which allowed the release of National Food Authority (NFA) rice buffer stocks to stabilize retail prices.

The DA has also set a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of PHP49 per kilogram for imported rice starting in March, while low-income households can purchase NFA rice at P35 per kilogram.

To further augment supply, the DA confirmed that 150,000 metric tons of NFA rice—half of its 300,000 metric-ton buffer stock—will be released over the next six months.

“Alam natin na ang bawat butil ng bigas ay mahalaga sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Nakikita natin ang mga positibong hakbang ng gobyerno, pero hindi pa tayo dapat makampante (We know that every grain of rice is vital to every Filipino family. We see the government’s positive steps, but we should not be complacent),” Romualdez said in a news release.

He pointed out that while government interventions have helped curb rising rice prices despite reductions in global market costs and import tariffs, lawmakers and candidates in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections should actively engage with their constituents to assess the real impact of these measures at the grassroots level.

“Hindi sapat ang mga numero at ulat lamang. Kailangan nating bumaba sa ating mga distrito (Numbers and reports are not enough. We need to go down to our districts),” he said.

Romualdez also underscored the importance of long-term solutions, including strengthening local rice production and ensuring fair farmgate prices for farmers. While rice imports serve as a temporary measure to stabilize supply, he stressed that agricultural self-sufficiency should be the ultimate goal.

“Importante na may agarang solusyon, pero hindi natin puwedeng gawing habambuhay na sagot ang pag-angkat ng bigas (Immediate solutions are necessary, but we cannot rely on rice imports forever),” he said.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Romualdez noted that the average farmgate price of dry palay stood at PHP20.69 per kilogram in January 2025, a slight decrease from P20.70 in December. 

However, this still reflects a 17.69 percent increase compared to P17.58 per kilogram in June 2022, the final month of the previous administration.