Cheaper imported premium rice nationwide by mid-February - DA

Metro Manila, Philippines - Consumers in Metro Manila preferring imported premium rice will see lower prices on store shelves beginning Wednesday, Feb. 5, with the likelihood that it will further go down as the maximum suggested retail price is implemented nationwide in the next two weeks.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) first carried out the MSRP, a producer-calculated price that is the highest for the imported staple, at P58 per kilogram in the National Capital Region on Jan. 20. 

“Starting tomorrow, ‘yung [the] MSRP for imported rice na [that is] 5 percent (broken) will now be sold at P55 per kilo… And then by Feb. 15, the MSRP will be nationwide,” Agriculture spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said in a news briefing on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier said the agency plans to lower the ceiling further to P52/kg, and a further reduction to P49 by March. 

“This should reflect the lower global prices of rice and the reduced tariff,” he said in a statement.

The agency set an MSRP to curb pricing of the imported staple beyond the actual cost and acceptable mark-up.