DA: P58/kilo imported rice MSRP to start Jan 20
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will implement a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of P58 per kilo for imported rice beginning Jan. 20 in a bid to keep a lid on high market prices.
The MSRP was decided after consultations with rice importers, retailers, government and law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders, the department said.
Despite a decline in global prices of the grain and import tariff cuts implemented last July, local rice prices remain persistently high.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that based on the DA's calculations, imported rice should not be sold higher than P58/kilo for the 5-percent broken variety, and should be cheaper for higher broken grain percentages.
The MSRP will initially be implemented in Metro Manila and will be reviewed every month.
«We think that if the current direction of global prices hold, the MSRP will be lower after the review,» Tiu Laurel said, adding that the imposition aims to balance business sustainability and farmer and consumer welfare.
«We must ensure the price of rice is fair and affordable even as we make sure that the rice industry remain profitable. We cannot allow the greed of a few to jeopardize the well-being of an entire nation.»
AdvertisementTiu Laurel has accused traders and retailers of profiteering and has threatened a crackdown. The DA has started selling lower-price rice previously only sold in government stores in several Metro Manila public markets.
The DA chief has also ordered state-owned QFood Terminals Inc. to start selling rice through Kadiwa ng Pangulo centers and kiosks, with 5-percent broken at P45/kilo, 25-percent broken at P40 and 100-percent broken — also known as Sulit Rice — at P36 per kilo.
Kadiwa stores also sell P29/kilo rice, but only to indigents, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, single parents and Indigenous peoples.
The DA said that rice that has been stored by the National Food Authority for at least three months would be made available for resale to local governments in Metro Manila at P38/kilo.
Advertisement«This initiative will help the NFA clear its warehouses in preparation for the upcoming harvest season,» Tiu Laurel said.
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