THE government has delayed the implementation of Suggested Retail Prices (SRP) on rice – which is one of the strategies that should pull down the price of the country’s main staple food – as retailers requested more time to make some adjustments.
The SRP on rice should have already been imposed starting yesterday but the Department of Agriculture (DA) decided to move it on Oct. 27 following the request of rice industry stakeholders so they can have more time to prepare the signage in their retail outlets.
Starting Saturday, imported well-milled rice at 25 percent will be sold at local markets at no more than R39 per kilogram (/kg), while premium imported rice, which was sold for R60/kg in the retail market, will be priced at no more than R43/kg.
Locally produced regular milled rice will be sold at no more than P39/kg, while well-milled rice is priced should only cost R44 per kilo. Premium rice that was produced here will be priced not higher than R47/kg.
The imposition of SRPs aim to protect consumers from overpricing in the market.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the SRP will initially cover Metro Manila and nearby provinces, including cities and towns within the Greater Manila Area.
The SRP for supermarkets and the regions will be discussed by the stakeholders next week.
Aside from the SRP, the DA will also implement “rice retailing reforms”, which primarily involves the proper identification of rice varieties being sold in the markets.
Piñol said that also starting Saturday, rice sold in the stalls should only be identified as regular milled, well-milled, premium, and special rice.
“The use of fancy brand names like ‘Mindoro Dinorado’, ‘Senandomeng’, ‘Super Angelica’, ‘Yummy Rice’, and ‘Double Diamond’ will be banned to stop the mislabeling and deception in the marketing of rice,” the DA chief said.
All of these plans were presented in the meeting of NFA Council, the highest policy making body of the National Food Authority (NFA), held yesterday.
