DA: High August palay prices to help farmers

MANILA, Philippines — The jump in palay farmgate prices by 29.9 percent in August could offset the rice farmers’ higher production costs, the Department of Agriculture said on Saturday.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the higher farmgate rates would “give rice farmers some room to absorb the increase in fuel, transport and input costs.”

He added that this would help the farmers’ planting decisions, noting the risks posed by El Niño to farm operations and production.

The Philippine Statistics Authority said palay prices climbed from P17.06 last year to P22.16 per kilo this August.  

Palay prices increased in most major rice-producing areas, the DA said, with many regions recording increases of at least 10 percent compared to last year’s rates.

Ilocos Region recorded the highest price increase at 54 percent, followed by Calabarzon at 50 percent, Cagayan Valley at 41 percent and Central Luzon at 32 percent.

Tiu Laurel said Central Visayas had the highest palay price per kilo at P28.07, equivalent to a 41-percent increase.

“Unfortunately, farmgate prices remained depressed in monsoon-affected areas, as excessive moisture lowered the quality of harvested palay,” Tiu Laurel said.

With the anticipated “severe” El Niño later this year, Tiu Laurel said the DA is preparing interventions to cushion its impact on the industry, including protection for farm productivity, support initiatives for farmers in weather-related disruptions, and maintaining stability for rice supplies and prices.