In his first year as President, the late Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr. boosted the rice production of farmers by introducing the IR8 variety developed by the International Rice Research Institute.
I remember this distinctly. My father’s farm in Midsayap, Cotabato was made a model farm by the Municipal Agriculturist Office. The IR8 was shorter in height compared to what the farmers were planting then and therefore could withstand strong winds. The stem was a lot harder for rodents to nibble at. Because of these two factors, production per hectare increased tremendously.
IR8 was known as “Miracle Rice.” The only problem with it was that the grains were a bit harder. When the rat infestation in Cotabato finally ended, farmers turned to other varieties also from IRRI, which had a delectable aroma and taste and sold for a lot more than the IR8.
Fast forward and Japan produced what they too called “Miracle Rice.” But this was not the kind you could grow in paddies and upland farms.
Japan’s Miracle Rice, as described in Google is commonly known as shirataki rice. It is made from the flour of the Konnyaku Imo (konjac) plant. This rice, made of 97-percent water and three percent plant fiber, is naturally low in calories. The natural fiber makes you feel full while still enjoying the satisfaction of eating rice. But this rice is a bit pricey at P249 per kilo.
Then came Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. He upstaged his father and Japan’s Miracle Rice by coming out with a “Subsidized Miracle Rice” that sells for an incredibly low price of P20 per kilo. It was developed not by IRRI but by some geniuses at the Department of Agriculture.
The process is simple. They reduced the tariff on rice imports by 20 percentage points from 35 percent and proceeded to import unlimited tons of rice from Vietnam.
This variety that was distributed at the advent of the 2025 midterm elections, however, did not appeal to farmers who ditched the Alyansa Senate slate to amplify their protest against the subsidized miracle rice.
President Marcos, nevertheless, declared he would sustain the distribution of the P20/kilo rice, which is a veritable anathema to farmers.
The National Food Authority must buy palay from our farmers within the P8 to P12 per kilo range so it can sell the recovered (milled) rice at P20/kilo.
Let’s make the math simple for BBM and his underlings to understand the impact of his plan on Filipino farmers.
Assume that a hectare of paddy rice produces 100 sacks of 50-kilo palay — that will be 5,000 kilos. Let’s also assume the NFA will buy palay at P12/kilo so that will give a farmer a gross income of P60,000 per hectare. Deduct the P43,000 production cost (fertilizer, pesticides, labor, and transportation) and the farmer nets P17,000/hectare. If his land is irrigated, he can plant twice a year and make P34,000. Meaning he will have P2,833 per month per year for his family to live on. On the national average, the landholding of a Filipino farmer is 1-2 hectares.
Mr. President, Secretary Laurel, and Mr. Lacson of NFA, go figure out how our poor farmers can survive this iniquitous iniquity of your P20/kilo rice.
Next, at what price should NFA buy palay for farmers to survive, stabilize the rice supply, and make consumers happy?