By Manny Piñol
Rice traders from Luzon last night promised to President Rody Duterte that they will flood Metro Manila markets with newly-milled local rice to be sold at P39 per kilo.
The rice traders told Pres. Duterte during last night ‘s forum in Malacañang that the first delivery of 100,000 bags will be channeled through the National Food Aithority (NFA) which in turn will distribute the rice at P38 per kilo to its outlets in Metro Manila.
The rice outlets will sell rice at P39 per kilo for a profit of P50 per bag.
The traders said they will deliver 100,000 bags every week until the rice imported by the NFA will arrive in the country.
The pledge of sufficient low-cost rice supply by the traders came during the meeting with the President which I suggested during the last NFA Council meeting.
In his message at the opening of the forum, Pres. duterte appealed to the rice traders to be considerate in the pricing of rice so that consumers will not be hurt.
“I know that you are all businessmen and that you have to make a profit but I am appealing to you not to overprice or hoard rice,” Pres. Duterte told the rice traders.
The meeting also allowed the rice traders to share with Pres. Duterte their problems, including extortion activties of Land Transportation Office personnel in a weighing scale station in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya.
The President immediately acted on their concerns.
(Photos were taken during the Rice Traders Forum in Malacañang last night.)
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