The Department of Agriculture assures the public that there will be no increase of price rice hime this month.
Deputy Spokesperson Rex Estoperez said no price increase is seen this month and January is a harvest season.
Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) chairman Rosendo So previously said that prices of rice might go up by ₱2 per kilogram.
The price of regular milled rice is ₱38 per kilogran, while well-milled rice retails for ₱41 per kg and ₱50 per kg for special rice according to a CNN Philippines report.
Last weekend, President Bongbong Marcos held an inspection in one of the warehouses of the National Food Authority in Valenzuela City to check the current rice supply.
Marcos said that based on his inspection there is enough rice supply for now.
“Oo, mukha naman, so far. Nabawasan kasi, talagang binawasan natin ‘yung importation, doon natin kinukuha sa production. So okay, I think we’ll be alright,” Marcos told reporters.
The president who is also the current agriculture secretary said that the they are monitoring rice supply should bad weather condition affects production.
“Pero, siyempre, kailangang bantayan nang husto iyan. ‘Pag tinamaan na naman tayo ng masamang weather, mararamdaman na naman natin ‘yan sa supply ng palay, ng bigas,” said Marcos.
Marcos said he visited the NFA warehouse to see where the rice being sold in Kadiwa stores are coming from.
“Nandito lang kami sa NFA warehouse kasi sa tanong — may nagtanong noong nasa Quezon City tayo, ‘yung supply ng Kadiwa ay baka mapatid, baka ma-ano, magkulang. Tinitignan ko kung saan manggagaling ‘yung supply na pinagbibili natin sa mga Kadiwa. So pinuntahan ko muna kung may laman naman ‘yung mga warehouse at merong parating pa nga,” he said.
“This is already the season na naglalabas na ng bigas so tuloy-tuloy na siguro ito para naman matiyak natin na ang Kadiwa ay hindi mauubusan ng commodities na ipagbibili at a good price na P25,” he added.
