PBBM sets palay floor price amid low farmgate rates

President Marcos has signed Executive Order No. 100 establishing a national floor price for palay (unmilled rice), a long-awaited policy designed to protect Filipino farmers from low farmgate prices during harvest seasons.

- ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS and HANNAH L. TORREGOZA

The President signed the order on Oct. 25, citing the need to ensure a "just and equitable" return for farmers amid rising production costs, climate risks, and price manipulation.

"The absence of a just and equitable floor price for palay exposes farmers' vulnerability to volatile market prices, particularly during the peak of harvest seasons," the EO read.

It added that oversupply and "unfair trading practices" have long undermined farmer incomes and productivity.

Under EO 100, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will determine and periodically adjust the floor price based on production costs, market trends, and farmers' welfare, while balancing affordability for consumers.

Marcos said the move will "stabilize farmgate prices, shield farmers from market volatility, and support national food security," especially during periods when palay prices sharply drop.

Farmers' clamor for price support The order follows repeated appeals from local farmers' groups, who earlier warned that palay prices had fallen to between P10 and P12 per kilo in most provinces and as low as P8 in some - despite import restrictions.

They urged the government to implement at least a P5-per-kilo support price and to ensure that traders cannot buy palay below fair market value.