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Some Pinoys adjust rice consumption habits due to high prices

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Jervis Manahan, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Customers eat at a street food cart near Kamuning Market in Quezon City on August 9, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/08/21/20230809-rice-kamuning-market-jc-6.jpg"/><figcaption>Customers eat at a street food cart near Kamuning Market in Quezon City on August 9, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Some Filipinos have lessened their rice consumption due to soaring prices of the Pinoy staple.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/16/23/rice-sufficient-but-dti-da-to-monitor-prices-palace">Rice &#x27;sufficient&#x27; but DTI, DA to monitor prices: Palace</a></li></ul>Payatas residents Roda Rodrigo and Manilyn Galopo said they have adjusted their consumption as rice price hit above P50 per kilo.Galopo said that they only cook rice twice a day.&quot;Dalawang saing na lang po, dati ang saing namin tatlo, tatlong beses sa isang araw... Sobrang hirap po, kaya mga anak ko, pito kami kumakain, mahirap po,&quot; said Galopo.Rodrigo said that since every peso counts, higher price meant less savings to allot for other expenses.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/18/23/marcos-says-closely-monitoring-rice-prices">Marcos says gov&#x27;t closely monitoring rice prices</a></li></ul>&quot;Sa halip na ise-save mo yun para sa pamasahe ng mga bata, wala ka na mase-save kasi inuuna mo yung bigas,&quot; Rodrigo said.Former Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Leonardo Montemayor said that price of rice may even go higher in the next few weeks before harvest go full swing in October.&quot;Hindi ako magugulat kung more than P60 aabot ang retail price ng bigas. Bawat linggo nagtataas ng presyo by up to P5 over the price of the previous week,&quot; Montemayor said.But a group of rice millers in Nueva Ecija believes otherwise.Elizabeth Vana, president of the Nueva Ecija Rice Millers Association, said price of rice will start going down as harvest in Nueva Vizcaya already started.&quot;Actually ngayon po, umaani na ang Vizcaya, mayroon pa-ilan ilan nang bumababa sa amin mula sa Vizcaya to Nueva Ecija. Pero ang Nueva Ecija, ang start ng harvest namin siguro po mag-start na kami second week to third week of September,&quot; Vana said.<div>ABOLISH NFA?</div>On Sunday, farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) asked for the abolition of the National Food Authority (NFA) over its alleged preference to import rice rather than buy from Filipino farmers.SINAG chairperson Rosendo So said NFA is currently negotiating with India for rice procurement.“They’re not buying from our farmers anymore. They’re buying from Vietnam, India... The NFA power is to buy palay isn’t it? What are they doing negotiating with India to buy rice?” So said.In separate statements, senators Chiz Escudero and Koko Pimentel reacted on SINAG&#x27;s call for the abolition of NFA. &quot;I believe that what is really needed is to strengthen the power and capacity of the NFA to do its mandate. With a measly funding of only P8.5 billion, how can it procure enough palay from local farmers at a &#x27;higher price&#x27; and sell it at a &#x27;lower price&#x27; to consumers?&quot; Escudero said.But Pimentel said NFA should explain its importation practices.&quot;If NFA is filling up its buffer stock with imported rice then NFA had a lot of explaining to do. And if NFA really turns out to be an agency which cannot fulfill its role, then I am open to the idea of abolishing,&quot; Pimentel said.<div>--With a report from Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News</div>

In separate statements, senators Chiz Escudero and Koko Pimentel reacted on SINAG's call for the abolition of NFA.

Some Pinoys adjust rice consumption habits due to high prices

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Some Pinoys adjust rice consumption habits due to high prices

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 21, 2023 06:50 PM PHT

Read More:

Senate

senator

senators

Chiz Escudero

Koko Pimentel

Rice

price

consumption

SINAG

palay

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