‘We are studying having a floor price so that no one loses money even if the price fluctuates too much.’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. joins Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel in inspecting a National Food Authority warehouse in San Ildefonso, Bulacan on Wednesday. The government said that there is an adequate supply of rice in the looming rainy season.
MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
San Ildefonso, Bulacan — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured farmers Wednesday that the government is exploring ways to boost their income as the harvest season approaches.
Speaking to local farmers in Bulacan province, Marcos said the government is preparing for the upcoming planting season.
“What we really want is to make sure that our farmers have enough income to be ready for the next planting season,” said the President.
Marcos cited that the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA) would provide their full support to farmers, adding that the government is studying the possibility of implementing a floor price for rice, similar to other agricultural products like tobacco in his home province of Ilocos.
“We are studying having a floor price so that no one loses money even if the price fluctuates too much,” Marcos said.
The President acknowledged the concerns of farmers who become discouraged due to unstable prices.
Marcos stressed the need for more farm machinery to aid farmers during harvests.
“But we will increase it, we need more [and] we can help you, we will increase the equipment,” he said, referring to equipment like dryers, rice mills and warehouses.
He suggested that local government units could provide trucks to farm cooperatives to facilitate the transport of harvests from farms to NFA warehouses. This would allow farmers to directly collect profits and prepare for the next planting season.
Marcos also raised the idea of using cold storage facilities for rice to maintain freshness and enable local produce to compete with imported goods that utilize similar storage methods.
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