FOR 20-year-old Jossie May Tabunan, buying her preferred rice variant is important for her and the growing baby inside her womb.
Tabunan bought four kilos of fancy rice from a rice retailer at the Carbon Public Market and was surprised to hear that the rice will soon be renamed to special, premium, well-milled and regular-milled rice.
“Maglibog na gyud ko kay kung ila nang ilisdan, maglisod naman kog tuod kung asa akong nauyonan nga bugas (That would be confusing. I wouldn’t know how to find the kind of rice I usually buy),” she said.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol announced last month that standardized labels must be followed “to avoid mislabeling and public deception.”
“There will be no more Sinandomeng, Angelica, Super Yummy, or any other rice names in the market. The traders have deceived consumers for a very long time with this make-up names and so it stops now,” Piñol said earlier.
The DA said rice sold in the markets will only be classified as regular milled rice (RMR), well-milled rice (WMR), premium and special.
According to the DA guidelines, rice will be classified as regular milled if it contains about 20 to 40 percent bran streaks; well-milled with one to 19 percent bran streaks; and premium grade if it contains a maximum of five percent broken kernels with zero to 19 percent bran streaks. Special rice are glutinous, aromatic, pigmented japonica, micronutrient-dense rice, including varieties with excellent eating and nutritive quality.
John, 52, a rice retailer for 16 years, lamented the change of the names of the different rice types and the suggested retail prices, especially for Sinandomeng and other premium rice brands.
“Naglibog pa gyud mi. Diha-diha ilang pag-implement. Kaming mga ginagmay nga negosyante ma’y maigo (We are still adjusting because it was just implemented. It is small traders like us that are affected),” he said.
He said that he had to rely on the loyalty of customers to survive the competition in the local market, as he noticed some of his competitors use the same labels of the rice brand but sell at a cheaper price because they allegedly mix it with the cheaper type of rice.
John said that they’re in a pinch because of that but assured that they maintain the standards of their rice without to avoid angering their patrons.
“Kung wa kay diskarte sa imong customer, wa gud. Maygani kay naa pakoy suki (I’m glad I still have loyal customers),” John said.
Bebe (not her real name), 60, another retailer, already implemented the classification of the rice types but added the brand of the particular stock.
“Dugay naman na nako gibutang. Pero wa pako kahibaw kung ipatangtang na ba nila ang mga brand sa bugas (I already added the new labels but I dont know if I should remove the brand names),” she told SunStar Cebu.
She said that since rice buyers were already familiar with the rice brands, she expects it would cause confusion. But she assured that they are always ready to guide them.
“Ang mamalit kahibaw naman sa pangalan sa bugas pero ang uban, ila mang tan-awon og maayo maong mahibaw-an gihapon nila ilang ganahan (Some really know the kind of rice they want),” she said.
Bebe said that she will still follow directives to continue managing her stall, which she held for 15 years.
For now, it has not affected her sales and she hopes it would remain that way.
Jen, 33, who helps her mother sell various kinds of rice in the market, said it would be a hassle to change the labels.
“Maglibog ang taw kung asa ang mahalon. Mao raba gud ang pamaliton kay mao ilang ganahan (Buyers will not know which is which. They always want the expensive kind),” she said.
Asked if it would affect their buyers, Jen said they point out the rice brand if a customer looks for it.
“Magbutang nalang mig number kay kanang premium namo tulo na kabuok klase (We have to put in numbers because there are three kinds of premium rice),” she said.