• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The farmgate price of palay (unhusked rice) in Negros Occidental has increased as rice prices are on the upward trend due to food rising costs, Pedro Limpangog, president of the Federation of Irrigators’ Associations Central Negros-Bago River Irrigation System said on Tuesday, March 17.
Limpangog noted that palay is now sold at P25 per kilo, from P17 to P20 per kilogram in December, while other rice types have reached up to P34 per kilogram.
Despite improved prices of their crops, he said farmers are still facing financial strain, pointing out that rising fuel costs have pushed up prices for fertilizers, transportation, and equipment operation, eating into potential gains.
Limpangog also said high-grade rice is now fetching between P2,300 and P2,400 per 50-kilo sack.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. earlier said they are studying a price cap of P50 per kilo on imported rice, possibly by April, to help keep the staple grain affordable for consumers in the face of the oil shock and rising food costs, in order not to affect the farmgate price of palay.
Raul Montemayor of the Federation of Free Farmers said the retail rice price increase may have been due to “speculations” by market players on increased transport costs and reduction in future palay harvest, if fertilizer prices rise. | GB
