DA eyes 5% drop in food prices, cites new farm-to-market roads as factor

GETTING GOVERNMENT’S SUPPORT Officials of Department of Agrarian Reform and other agencies launch a road-concreting project in Trento, Agusan del Sur which, when completed, will help the Sempco farmers’ cooperative bring their cheap rice to more public markets. (Contributed file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering the implementation of some government interventions so that food prices will go down by about five percent.

Agriculture Secretary Francico Tiu Laurel Jr. talked about this plan in a Palace briefing on Tuesday.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in January said government has built 51 percent of its target farm-to-market-roads.

Tiu Laurel said the construction of such roads can lower food prices.

“We can put the right roads to the… from the real farms to the markets. I think it should lower food prices by about at least five percent,” he said.

He added government is aiming to improve post-harvest facilities and minimize food wastage.

Amid these situations, Tiu Laurel said global market is also a factor in the prices of commodities.

“Of course, sa bigas, it depends also on the world market, ano?” he explained.

(Of course, with rice, it depends also on the world market.)

“But in assuming everything is stable and wala masyadong calamities or all of that, hopefully, mga at least five percent din,” he estimated the projected decrease.

(But in assuming everything is stable and there are not many calamities or all that, hopefully at least five percent.)