MANILA, 28 April 2008 — Rice traders have assured consumers that there is a steady supply of rice in the market for the whole year as they promise they will not hoard and increase the price of rice during the "lean months" starting July.
Some 60 officials and members of Philippine Confederation of Grains Associations (Philcongrains) reiterated to the Department of Agriculture (DA) during their dialogue at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management over the weekend that there will be no rice shortage for the year.
The rice traders told Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap that they will report this week the milling capacities and actual delivery volume of their organization to ensure that their rice stocks are delivered straight to the market from July up to September during the rainy season and after the harvest season.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, on the other hand, promised Philcongrains that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will only apprehend wholesalers and retailers who hoard rice, increase the price of rice and who resort to other illegal activities.
In a related development, the NFA announced it has opened two additional rice distribution centers in Tayuman, Tondo to be able to deliver cheap rice sold to poor consumers at P18.25 per kilo. Market prices of commercial rice range from P31 up to P38 a kilo.
Alongside the sale of NFA-subsidized rice, Yap also announced during the dialogue that the food agency will be deploying more of its rolling stores in depressed communities.
The Barangay Bagsakan centers or BBs (formerly Barangay Food Terminals or BFTs) started selling cheaper pan de sal and other bread items in Metro Manila last Saturday.
Pan de sal is being sold in these DA and NFA outlets at P12 per pack of seven, or P1.71 a piece as against the prevailing market price of P2.50-P3.50, while a loaf of bread is sold at only P37, as against the prevailing commercial rate of P43 to P54.
