Rice policy flaws hit as grains prices soar

Amid the ongoing Senate hearings that seek to address the country’s rice woes, the average retail price of a kilo of well-milled rice hit an unprecedented P40 mark even as government lawyers have cited flaws in the rice importation policies under the current leadership of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA).

The Philippine Statistics Authority-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (PSA-BAS) reported that as of February 11, well-milled rice now retails for P40.06 per kilogram, 13.58 percent higher than at the same time last year. A kilo of regular-milled rice, on the other hand, now retails for P36.75, 14.74 percent higher than in February 2013.