DA to crack down on rice 'branding', price violators

The Department of Agriculture (DA) plans to crack the whip on retailers selling rice beyond the suggested retail prices (SRP).

Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol on Tuesday also said the National Food Authority (NFA) will monitor the market for profiteers wrongfully selling the grain under different labels.

"The NFA will exercise its full powers of regulation and supervision of the rice trading industry and NFA was directed to cancel the permits of those who will violate. We will have to crack the whip," the Agriculture chief said, according to a report on GMA News TV's News to Go by Ivan Mayrina.

According to the DA, rice retailers have until the end of the month to finish their current supply before authorities start cracking down on price violators.

The prices of rice are likely go down next month due to the arrival of additional rice imports and the start of the harvest season.

Grain prices already dropped by P1 in some markets on Tuesday.

"Wholesale market, ang laki ng binaba ng presyo ng bigas," Joji Co of the Philippine Confederation of Grains Association explained. "Bumaba na rin ang presyo ng palay dahil papasok na ani. Kung titingnan mo sa retail, 'di pa gumagalaw eh. 'Di pa gumagalaw. So maganda siguro merong SRP para masunod naman ang lahat."

Meanwhile, a group of retailers argued that the current SRP leaves local farmers with the shorter end of the stick.

"Mahirap ang SRP to implement dahil sa farm pa lang, may presyuhan depende sa variety. Ang SRP dito, nagiging matumal tuloy ito sa industriya ng bigas dahil ang producers, ang farmers baka maapektuhan ng sobra," James Magbanua of the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines said.

The government is working on setting the price of commercial rice at P38 to P55 per kilo, which would vary depending on the variety of rice. —Margaret Claire Layug/KG, GMA News