Psalmer Bernalte, focal person of the LPCC, said prices of ordinary and premium rice were reduced to at least 13 percent or P5 to P7 per kilo compared to their prices a month ago.
Bernalte said the increase in the number of National Food Authority (NFA) rolling stores and retail outlets contributed in the decrease of the rice prices.
Lerma Maranan, information officer of NFA Cotabato, said prices of commercial rice would continue to decrease in the coming days, "especially so that millions of tons of imported rice are set to be delivered next month."
Two weeks ago, NFA has given licenses to barangay local government units (LGUs) in this city to operate retail outlets where locals could buy NFA rice at P18.25 per kilo.
"Instead of waiting in line to buy rice in an NFA outlet inside the public market here, the residents could directly buy up to five kilos of NFA rice in their own village," said Bernalte.
The City Government has provided the barangay funds so that villages can buy stocks directly from the NFA warehouse.
City Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco has released some P2 million from the city's calamity funds for the said barangay funds.
Bernalte said the gradual decrease of prices of commercial rice only showed that prices have been manipulated by unscrupulous millers and traders.
Traders, however, were not worried.
Toto Bacus, president of the Grains Retailers Confederation in North Cotabato, said they have already anticipated the reduction of prices.
Bacus admitted he lost a big capital after prices of commercial rice were down to at least 13 percent.
Local traders blamed rice millers and buyers of palay, most of them had come from outside the province, for the "rapid" increase of prices of commercial rice.
