THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will set up more stations offering rice direct from farmers this month, beginning in Quezon City, in order to reassure the public amid fears of rising prices for the commodity.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol told reporters during the launch of the Rolling TienDA — an outlet for selling agricultural products, including those from fisherfolk — in Payatas, Quezon City that selling goods directly from farmers to consumers will demonstrate that food supplies are ample and fairly priced if middlemen are cut out.

“We would like to prove to everybody that food does not need to be that expensive. There is food. The only problem is that it’s controlled by middlemen and the food supply chain so they earn more. We’re not trying to dismantle that system but we’re trying to offer to the people an alternative,” he added.

Payatas is the second site selected for the Rolling TienDA, serving around 1,500 families. The first rolling TienDA site was set up beside the entrance of the DA compound, selling commercial rice from southwestern Luzon at P38 per kilo.

“Initially, we wanted to put it in Tondo but the Congressman [from that jurisdiction] said that the price might be too high [because] this isn’t subsidized by the government. I think P38 is a fair price for Metro Manila,” Mr. Piñol said.

“We cannot promise them anything lower than P38 for Metro Manila. For the provinces, maybe, it can be lower. It depends on the prices in the local market. The ideal price of the rice should be twice the buying price of the palay. “

The DA and the Quezon City government agreed to set up more sites in the city.

In the Visayas, the DA will set up its first Bigas ng Masa outlet in Bago, Negros Occidental, the location of a P40-million rice processing complex which started operations last year.

“[W]e’ll be using their large rice complex and a cooperative will operate it. We have given them (the cooperative) P20 million in capital and then another production loan worth P20 million,” he added.

“[Once] the palay that they buy goes through the drying facility we will open TienDA outlets in every town in Negros Occidental.”

Apart from direct sales of rice, the DA also plans to sell other basics such as fish, after the fishing ban in the Zamboanga region was lifted last week. Mr. Piñol said that the DA will be making use of an 80-meter boat with refrigerated storage to transport seafood for sale in various TienDA sites.

While the National Food Authority awaits the arrival of the 250,000 metric tons of imported rice to replenish its stocks, Mr. Pinnol said Bigas ng Masa can serve to reassure the public about the staple’s availability at fair prices.

Mr. Piñol reiterated that the Philippines is on track to achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2020, with the current mismatch between supply and demand at about 400,000 metric tons. Assuming favorable weather until next year, Mr. Piñol said that rice sufficiency levels could be at 97% by 2019. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR