Beyond the price tag: The hidden cost of rice in the Philippines

Inquirer.net - Oct 20, 2026

Rice is commonly perceived as an expensive staple food in the Philippines. However, market prices often exclude substantial environmental and social externalities generated during production. Building on Teodoro C. Mendoza’s 2021 True Cost Accounting (TCA) study of Philippine rice production, this paper reassesses whether rice remains “expensive” when climate, water, ecosystem and other hidden costs

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