State Dining Room, Malacañan Palace
August 29, 2023

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. convened with concerned sectors to discuss updates on the government’s initiatives in ensuring rice supply and regulating its price during a meeting at the State Dining Room in Malacañan Palace.

Noting that there is enough rice supply in the country as of date, based on the most recent rice outlook presented by the Department of Agriculture (DA), the President expressed concern over the price of rice. Among the factors being looked at which may have caused the price hike are cases of hoarding, the effects of consecutive typhoons over the past month (Typhoons Egay and Falcon) in severely affected areas and/or rice-deficit regions, and prices posed by middlemen.

The Chief Executive directed all concerned agencies to utilize the available legal tools in controlling the price of rice and make this affordable especially to poor households, as well as ensure other support mechanisms for farmers and traders alike should legal measures be invoked by the government in controlling the price of rice.

President Marcos Jr. also called on the Bureau of Customs (BOC), in coordination with the DA, to study possibilities of donating BOC-seized rice to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

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