00:00 "It's expensive. It's very expensive."
00:03 "It's about 20 pesos."
00:05 "I can't afford it, ma'am.
00:07 It's only 19 pesos per kilo."
00:09 "The old 30 pesos is gone.
00:11 I can't afford 20 pesos."
00:13 Straight from local producers themselves,
00:16 bringing down rice prices to 20 pesos per kilo
00:20 is a remote possibility.
00:22 Even for consumers who once believed in the president's promise,
00:26 "We don't rely on 20 pesos anymore."
00:28 how far can the promised amount go at prevailing prices?
00:33 We first went to a wet market.
00:36 "Can I buy 20 pesos worth of rice?"
00:39 "Yes, sure. If you can afford it."
00:42 "How much is this, ma'am?"
00:44 "This is 20 pesos worth of rice."
00:48 "Thank you, ma'am."
00:49 So for 20 pesos, we got half a kilo of the well-mealed rice worth 45 pesos.
00:55 But ate gave us a discount of 2 pesos and 50 centavos.
00:59 Eatery owners have no choice as well but to charge more for rice.
01:04 "Before, we only got 10 rice.
01:06 Until we got 12 or 15."
01:08 We only got one cup of rice for 20 pesos.
01:12 But eatery owners say this is already a little more than their usual serving worth 15 pesos.
01:17 The agriculture department admits it still has a long way to go
01:22 before it can realize its goal.
01:24 For starters, while production costs are on the rise,
01:28 the DA is pushing for the consolidation of rice fields.
01:32 "If a farmer buys rice, he'll have to look at the harvest, fertilizer, labor.
01:38 It's very expensive.
01:39 If you compare it to larger clustered areas managed by federations or cooperatives,
01:46 they can bargain for discounts.
01:49 You'll increase the level of productivity."
01:52 Officials also grappling with the lack of post-harvest facilities and logistic issues.
01:58 Hence, for one farmer's group, even a 30-peso rice is not viable.
02:04 "It's too gross.
02:06 It's not far from 45 levels, I think."
02:11 DA spokesperson Arnel De Mesa says the rollout of cash assistance is ongoing,
02:16 as well as seeds and fertilizers.
02:19 Irrigation systems and drought-resistant varieties also available with the looming drought.
02:25 But the Samahang Industria ng Agrikultura hopes for faster distribution,
02:29 something farmers have long been asking for.
02:33 The DA still believes nothing is impossible.
02:37 But the only thing that's certain for now,
02:39 if the government goes on with the 20-peso rice,
02:43 it is the farmers who will again end up losing.
02:46 "They will be able to do it. If not now, then in the near future."
02:52 "The farmers will cry if that happens.
02:55 Maybe next time, there will be no more rice to plant."
02:58 Kari Gator
03:04 CNN Philippines
03:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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