SINAG: Rice prices, not supply, is the problem

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said Monday it is confused with the government’s move to import rice from other countries as the Philippines' problem was due to high prices and not lack of supply.

“Yun nga po ang ating medyo ipinagtataka dahil ang issue natin ngayon ay ‘yung mataas na presyo ng bigas,” SINAG executive director Jayson Cainglet told Super Radyo dzBB. 

(That is what we are confused about because the issue we have right now is the high prices of rice.)

“Wala naman po nagsasabi na meron tayong kakulangan o may shortage (no one is saying that we have a shortage),” he added.

This was after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sought a rice trade agreement with Vietnam and Cambodia for a stable supply of the product.

Cainglet questioned why the government is seeking to import rice that is more expensive than local prices.

“Kahit sa mismong monitoring po ng DA, mas mahal ang imported kaysa local so bakit ipipilit ang imported kung kaya naman natin magbenta at may mas mura dito,” he said.

(Even with the monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA), imported rice is more expensive than local so why would we push for imported when we can sell here and it’s cheaper.)

The SINAG executive director said the government should instead help farmers.

Last week, Marcos approved the recommendation to impose price ceilings on two commonly purchased rice varieties across the country amid the skyrocketing prices in local markets, which ranged from P45 to P70 per kilo.

The mandated price ceiling for regular milled rice is P41 per kilo while the mandated price cap for well-milled rice is P45 per kilo, according to Executive Order 39.

The DA said 95% of rice retailers complied with the price caps.—AOL, GMA Integrated News