The Department of Agriculture (DA) has deputized the National Food Authority (NFA) to assist in the monitoring and enforcement of price ceilings on rice as mandated by Executive Order 39.
Under Memorandum Order 62-2023 signed by DA senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban on Thursday, NFA personnel help ensure regular milled as well as well-milled rice sold in markets are correctly classified and appropriately priced.
This was in response to concerns raised by stakeholders that retailers intentionally mislabel rice and pass low grade stocks as regular milled and well milled products.
Last week, the DA said the compliance rate of retailers to the mandated price caps was a high 95 percent even though resistance by some retailers persist.
The DA also acknowledged issues raised by retailers of the limited supply of regular and well milled rice which are capped at P41 per kilo and P45 per kilo, respectively.
To address supply concerns, the DA will link retailers to farmers and millers and extend them logistical support.
Monitoring by the DA in public markets in the National Capital Region show the price of local well-milled rice range from P45 to P49 per kilo; and regular rice ranging from P41 to P45 per kilo.
Imported well milled rice sell for P45 per kilo. No data is available for imported regular milled rice.
Imported rice sell from P53 to P65 for the special variety and from P55 to P58 for premium.
For local rice, the special variety sells from P54 to P62 per kilo and premium from P50 to P60 per kilo.
