MANILA – Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Friday urged the public to reject retailers selling imported rice above PHP43 per kilogram, warning that some sellers may be exploiting the upcoming 60-day import suspension starting September 1.
The PHP43/kg cap is the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) set for 5 percent broken imported rice.
“Panawagan ko sa ating mga consumers, huwag kayong papayag o huwag kayong bibili ng imported rice na higit sa PHP43 na MSRP na ating itinakda (I call on consumers to neither allow nor buy imported rice that is above the PHP43 per kg MSRP),” Tiu Laurel said in an interview, stressing that consumers should also call out retailers selling rice at a higher price, he added.
Those behind the spike in imported rice prices are “taking advantage” of the impending import ban, considering the stable rice inventory, the agri chief said.
As of Aug. 14, the Bureau of Plant Industry recorded over 2.67 million metric tons of rice imports.
“Sa computation namin, ang presyo ng magandang imported rice is dapat nasa PHP43 lang iyan e (In our computation, good quality imported rice should only cost PHP43 to PHP43.50/kg),” he added.
Based on DA’s Bantay Presyo monitoring, premium imported rice in Metro Manila is currently sold between PHP41 and PHP50/kg. while local premium rice ranges from PHP41 to PHP60/kg.
The DA assured continued monitoring of retail markets nationwide to keep rice prices “reasonable and fair” during the import suspension period. (PNA)