President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed confidence that his administration can sustain the sale of P20 per kilo of rice until the end of his term, citing increasing domestic production and direct procurement from farmers.

In the second part of his recent podcast episode, Marcos detailed factors contributing to this goal, including record-breaking palay harvests.

“In 2023, we had the largest crop of palay in the history of the Philippines. In 2024, we surpassed that. In 2025, we predict that we will surpass that again. So, our production is gradually going up,” said the President.

Marcos explained that increased production will lead to lower rice production costs.

“I’m so confident to say that it is sustainable. Because as long as we continue this, we provide machinery to farmers, let’s improve all our irrigation. Let’s do research at International Rice Research Institute at University of the Philippines-Los Baños on what are the good new varieties, what are the new planting techniques to grow, our production side will get better and better,” he added.

The President also stressed prioritizing farmers by procuring palay directly from them. He noted the country’s past success in exporting locally produced rice, which he believes indicates the Philippines’ ability to meet the demand for affordable rice.

Marcos urged farmers to sell their harvests to the National Food Authority (NFA), which will buy at a higher, stable price.

“We have to support them,” Marcos said. “So, whatever happens to the price of rice that is sold in wet markets, we will not change the buying price of NFA. It will never go down.”

Responding to public requests for more Kadiwa markets, where the P20/kilo rice is sold, Marcos said he is reviewing proposals to remove local government unit contributions, allowing the national government to focus solely on rice distribution.

Published Date: June 19, 2025