By Junex Doronio
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL for the reduction of rice prices as the head of the Agriculture Department’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on Wednesday revealed that rice prices have finally started to stabilize.
As of Tuesday, September 19, the DA said rice was being sold now in Metro Manila at P40 to P62 per kilo.
“Dahil nga ang ating mga presyo ay nagiging stable na, once we find, the [Department of Agriculture] and the [Department of Trade and Industry], find it na ito ay stable na, we can already recommend to the President kung ano ang future na puwedeng gawin,” BPI Director Glenn Panganiban said.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. has also expressed confidence that rice prices could still go down to as low as P20 per kilo as he promised during the 2022 presidential campaign.
“May chance lagi ‘yan,” the President said on Tuesday, September 19, when interviewed by reporters in Zamboanga City.
The DA-BPI said that based on its monitoring, 90 percent of rice retailers in Metro Manila follow the mandated price ceiling of P41 per kilo for regular milled rice and P45 per kilo for well-milled rice.
(ai/mnm)