DTI, Agri Dept.eyeing suggested retail price on rice

The Departments of Agriculture and of Trade and Industry are studying the possibility of placing a suggested retail price on rice varieties, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said on Thursday.

“Tinitignan namin kung pwede bang mag-set ng suggested retail price sa bigas according to variety,” Piñol told reporters during in a press conference.

The departments are forming a technical working group to study how to put in place a system of pricing for the commodity.

“There is no uniformity in pricing,” Piñol noted, saying this was observed by the DA, DTI, and National Food Authority during an inspection of rice outlets Wednesday.

Rice retailers were pricing rice varieties on their own, and without a system of price verification for a particular variety. “Anybody can just put na ito ay dinorado” Piñol said.

He said putting an SRP based on rice variety and a uniform pricing system will protect consumers against unscrupulous traders and retailers.

During the same briefing, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the SRP will only cover regular and well-milled varieties.

The Trade chief noted the policy-making NFA Council will decide on the SRP for rice.

“The DTI’s part will be in price monitoring ... Putting an SRP is not a price control, this is just like what we are doing on manufactured products for us to have a chance to comment on price changes at the retail level,” he said. —VDS, GMA News