Palace says rice and pork prices expected to drop in March

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Good news awaits consumers as the prices of rice and pork are expected to drop this month, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Wednesday.

At a Palace briefing, Castro said that rice currently priced at P49 per kilo will drop to P45 per kilo by March 31.

“Pati na po ang presyo po ng baboy ay maaari po itong maibaba din po by March 10 sa halaga po… ito po ay sinabi in particular ni Secretary [Francies] Laurel—ang parte po ng kasim at pige ay bababa po between P350 to P360 per kilo at ang liempo naman po ay maibababa po ng P380 per kilo,” she said.

(Also, the price of pork can also be reduced by March 10 in the amount [of]… this was said in particular by Secretary Laurel—pork shoulder and pork leg will drop between P350 to P360 per kilo, and the liempo will be reduced by P380 per kilo.)

Asked why there will be a drop in the price of rice, Castro said it is because the world prices have also reduced.

READ: Romualdez to lawmakers, poll bets: Is rice available, affordable?

Meanwhile, House Speaker Martin Romualdez called on lawmakers and poll candidates to visit their districts to check if rice grains are available and affordable.

In a statement last Friday, Romualdez said, “We know that each grain of rice is important to the Filipino family. We saw the positive steps taken by the government, but we should not be complacent.  We have to do more to ensure that the price of rice is affordable for all.”

“Numbers and reports are not enough. We need to go down to our districts, talk to farmers, retailers, and consumers. We have to ask: do our people have the rice to cook? How can we lower rice prices without affecting the income of our farmers?” he asked.