Rice prices in the Philippines could climb to as high as P62 per kilo by September as rising fertilizer costs linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict continue to pressure farm production, the Department of Agriculture (DA) warned.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. told the Senate PROTECT committee that fertilizer prices have nearly doubled from about P1,650 to around P3,000, which could significantly raise production costs for the next harvest season.

“Rice prices will increase in the next harvest season, which is around September,” Tiu Laurel said.

“If we continue with the same traditional practices… if we do not use alternatives or if our farmers do not adopt the alternative fertilizers being suggested by the DA, the computation as of yesterday shows it could reach P62 per kilo,” he added.

To help stabilize prices, the DA is studying a blending strategy combining imported and local rice.

“We discussed this yesterday and we are working on a 70-30 blend. So with that, whether it is 70-30 or eventually 60-40, because we need to support our local rice, both local and imported rice will move together. The price will likely go down,” he said.

The agency is also considering a rice-corn blend, as white corn remains significantly cheaper.

“White corn is currently P17 to P18 per kilo, while palay is around P25. The minimum we believe farmers should earn in September should be P22 per kilo for wet palay or P27 for dry palay at current fertilizer prices,” Tiu Laurel said.

“If palay is P27 and corn is P20, and you mix it 50-50, the price will go down,” he added.