DA further cuts rice retail prices by P2-P3
The prices of different types of rice sold under the Rice-for-All program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) will drop by P2 to P3 starting on Feb. 12.
According to the DA, the price cuts will apply to broken rice or rice grains that are broken or fragmented during processing such as milling.
Effective on Wednesday, five percent broken rice will be sold at P43 per kilogram (from the previous P45/kg) while 25 percent broken rice will retail for P35/kg (from P38/kg), and 100 percent broken rice at P33 per kg (from P36/kg).
At the same time, the DA said on Tuesday that the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for imported rice, now implemented nationwide instead of just in Metro Manila, would be lowered to P52 per kg beginning Feb. 15. By March 1, the price would dip down further to P49 per kg.
“The price reduction reflects both a drop in global rice prices and an increase in domestic supply as the local harvest season gets underway,” it added.
The DA also attributed the lower prices to the government’s move to slash rice tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent until 2028 under Executive Order (EO) No. 62 issued in July.
With EO No. 62 up for review soon, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he was inclined only to recommend adjusting the import duty on rice once retail prices range between P42 and P45 per kg.
But based on the DA’s monitoring as of Monday, locally produced regular milled rice was priced at P38 to P45 per kg, lower than last year’s P50 to P53/kg.
Local well-milled rice, on the other hand, was sold from P42 to P52/kg compared with P49 to P56 per kg in 2024.
As for imported regular milled rice, it was priced between P38 to P46 per kg in Metro Manila markets while imported well-milled rice retailed from P44 to P45 per kg, also lower than last year’s P50 to P58 per kg.
DA assurance
Despite the easing of international prices, Tiu Laurel reassured farmers that the National Food Authority (NFA) would continue purchasing locally produced palay from them for P21 to P23 a kilo to build its buffer stock.
“The NFA has sufficient funding to support farmers and uphold its mandated rice buffer stock, now equivalent to 15 days of national consumption under the revised Rice Tariffication Law,” he said.
Under the amended law, the NFA is mandated to maintain an optimal level of rice inventory to sustain the government’s disaster relief programs during natural or man-made calamities and to address food security emergency situations on rice. Its stocks, however, should be sourced solely from local farmers.
Excessive gap
At the same time, Tiu Laurel said the DA was still mulling over whether or not to implement an MSRP on pork to address the “excessive” gap between farm-gate, or the price of selling the produce from farmers to traders, and retail prices.
He described the current retail pork price of P400 per kilo or higher as “unreasonable.”
“We are conducting a thorough analysis of the pork value chain,” he said. “If evidence of profiteering emerges, we will not hesitate to institute an MSRP for pork.”
As of Monday, pork belly retailed from P380 to P480, while frozen kasim was sold from P230 to P290 per kg. For frozen liempo, the retail price was between P290 and P350 per kg.
