00:00 Notwithstanding flak from a few quarters, the price cap presidential directive that
00:04 has since been recalled triggered a downtrend in rice prices with the onset of the harvest
00:09 season.
00:10 Even better for consumers, a suggested retail price for imported rice at P36 a kilogram
00:16 is in the works.
00:18 Our Clazel Pardilia tells us more.
00:21 Higher transport costs, soaring electricity bills and climbing rice prices are just among
00:37 Lita's real life problems.
00:40 To make ends meet, her family started cost-cutting measures.
01:03 According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, prices of rice in September spiked to record
01:09 high levels since 2009.
01:12 Its climbing cost also pushed the inflation rate higher last month.
01:17 Despite the implementation of the price cap, the average price of regular milled rice in
01:22 September was recorded at more or less P47, while milled rice at an average of P52 a kilo.
01:30 The
01:50 agriculture department pointed, prices of rice would have surely gone up had the price
01:55 ceiling not been implemented.
01:57 The good news, the agency projected, prices of rice will surely drop before the month
02:03 ends.
02:12 The price monitoring of the DA shows, prices of local rice today can be bought between
02:17 P40 to P60 a kilo, while imported rice is sold at prices ranging from P42 to P60.
02:26 Senator Cynthia Villars said, the DA should look into the unreasonably high prices of
02:31 imported rice.
02:33 The
02:54 Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura urged the DA to put up a suggested retail price
03:00 for imported rice.
03:01 "The import market price of rice is going down.
03:08 The premium price of new rice is at P580 per meg ton of Thailand.
03:17 We should probably cap that so that the price will not go up."
03:24 If retailers can follow the price cap, then they can comply with this provided, "If
03:41 the dealer gives a low price, we will lower it.
03:45 That's how it is."
03:46 Khaleza Paragilia for the nation.
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