Happy October!

FARMERS, MILLERS, TRADERS

AGREE ON SBP, SRP FOR RICE

By Manny Piñol

Stakeholders of the rice industry on Wednesday agreed to join hands to address the “messy” rice supply and pricing situation in the country by observing a Suggested Buying Price (SBP) for farmers’ produce and a Suggested Retail Price (SRP) for rice sold in the market.

The SBP means that traders will observe a base price and a ceiling price in buying farmers’ produce so that the farmers will be protected and that there would be no uncontrolled “pricing war” in palay procurement which could push prices of rice up.

The SRP, on the other hand, will ensure that the traders and retailers do not sell rice at prices which are unreasonable based on the buying price of paddy rice.

Rice importers also agreed to bring down the retail price of imported rice in the market and ask their wholesale buyers to advise the retailers to sell it at prices lower than local commercial rice.

In the first rice stakeholders meeting which was called by the Philippine Council on Agriculture and Fisheries which I presided as the new Chairman of the National Food Authority (NFA) Council, the stakeholders agreed to implement SRP on rice by the last week of October.

The traders requested for a two-week grace period so they could dispose of the stocks they bought at higher prices.

As initially agreed, here are the expected SRPs by the end of October:

– Regular Milled Rice – P39 per kilo;

– Well-Milled Rice – P42 per kilo;

– Long Grains Head Rice – P44 per kilo;

– Heirloom and Organic Rice to be agreed upon

It was also agreed that an SRP on imported rice will also be set at levels lower than the prices of local commercial rice.

The National Food Authority (NFA) will sell government subsidized rice at P27 and P32 per kilo for low income families.

During the same meeting, I issued a directive to the NFA to ensure that all stalls selling rice must properly identify the rice being sold either as “Local” rice or “Imported” rice.

A policy on mislabelling and overpricing will also be discussed during a special meeting of the NFA Council which I called on Monday, Oct. 8 at the DA offices.

During the meeting, the idea of setting a Suggested Buying Price (SBP) for farmers’ produce was also presented.

In the proposal, a base price must be set for farm fresh paddy rice and for clean and dry palay.

The initial proposal was for a base price of P18 per kilo for farm fresh palay and P21 per kilo for clean and dry paddy rice.

The stakeholders agreed to meet again on Oct. 18 to finalize the SRP and the SBP.

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

#UnitedRiceStakeholders!

#Changeishere!

(Photos of the Rice Stakeholders Consultation held on Wednesday at the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Compound in San Andres, Manila were taken by Mayette Tudlas)