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TO stabilize the price of the basic staple in Mindanao, the National
Food Authority (NFA) on Wednesday said the agency will increase its
rice distribution and will introduce premium rice variety in key
cities in the South.
NFA Administrator Jessup Navarro said the
agency’s rice marketing strategies that proved effective in
resolving the rice crisis in Metro Manila would also be implemented
in major cities in Mindanao.
Navarro said the premium rice, packed in
one-kilogram bags, and priced at P25 per kilogram, will be available
in the market and sold directly to consumers, while the P18.25 per
kilogram regular-milled rice will still be available through the NFA
rolling stores and Tindahan Natin outlets.
Major cities where NFA will implement it include
Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro.
With the introduction of high-quality but
low-priced premium rice, Navarro is expecting that the wide price
difference between commercial rice being sold by the private traders
and the low-priced NFA subsidized rice will narrow.
Earlier reports coming from Southern Mindanao
showed the recorded average price of rice in the market is P34.17
per kilogram to P51 per kilogram.
However, Navarro clarified that “The reported
P50 to P51 per kilogram rice in Mindanao are fancy varieties like
the milagrosa and upland rice.”
Navarro explained that unlike the ordinary IRRI
and PSB varieties, fancy rice are being harvested only once a year
and therefore commands a higher price.
He also assured that the NFA is continuously
keeping the rice market under a tight watch while closely
coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation to preempt
and/or stop the illegal activities of unscrupulous rice traders.
-- Ira Karen Apanay
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