00:00And scrupulous rice traders, middlemen, and retailers are exploiting the special and premium
00:06labels on imported rice to arbitrarily and unilaterally raise prices and fleece the
00:12Filipino consumer and public. So the DA is mulling to strip the labels of imported rice
00:18off and or declare a food security emergency to ultimately bring down the cost of imported
00:24staple grains as PTV's Clazel Pardilla narrates in this report.
00:31Special rice is what Rogelio usually buys because aside from its fragrance,
00:36it is also delicious when cooked. He is cautious when choosing this type of rice,
00:41especially since it is expensive.
01:02According to the price monitoring of the Department of Agriculture,
01:05imported rice that is well-milled is priced at 40 to 46 pesos per kilo. Special rice ranges
01:12from 52 to 60 pesos, while premium rice is sold at 54 to 64 pesos. The Agriculture Department
01:19believes the price of imported rice is too high. To lower the cost, the DA is planning to remove
01:25labels from imported rice. The premium and special labels on imported rice are allegedly being used
01:32as an excuse to manipulate and increase rice prices.
01:36For example, the price of imported rice is only 40 pesos. But because they are going to make it a premium or special brand,
01:45and this is the brand, the price will be higher. It will be, as we have seen, 60 pesos plus.
01:52It seems like they are making too much profit. The price of premium and special is really too high.
02:02Mari Detha has been selling rice for decades,
02:04said she only adds 2 pesos per kilo for imported rice.
02:23For now, the DA is also considering declaring a food security emergency to ease the high prices
02:29of rice. This could allow the National Food Authority to release buffer stocks of rice
02:35or authorize the FDI to import large quantities of rice to compete with importers.
02:59and the secretary can declare a food emergency upon careful recommendation.
