The prices of local rice products at the Trabaho Market in Sampaloc, Manila are more costly than imported rice, a rice retailer said.
Interviewed by RH Boy Gonzales on Wednesday, February 7, rice retailer Wilson Santiago shared that the prices of rice supplies from the provinces remained high.
"[Ang] imported [rice] ay bumaba nang kaonti, pero yung local rice, yung galing ng probinsya, ay gano'n pa rin. Sobrang taas ng presyo. Hindi nagbago," he said.
"At yung mga bagong ani ngayon na dumarating mula probinsya ay gano'n pa rin, Sobrang taas pa rin. Hindi nagbago. Ang dahilan nila ay sobrang taas daw ng palay," Santiago added.
As per the rice retailer, the imported rice products they usually buy is P50 lower than the local rice.
When asked about the cheapest rice price at the Trabaho Market, Santiago said "Ngayon, ang pinaka-mababa sa Trabaho market is P53/kilo, imported iyon."
The inflation rate or prices of goods and services has slowed down to 2.8 percent in January 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA attributed the ease of inflation to food inflation which stands at 3.3 percent.
The statistics agency, however, noted that rice inflation in January rose further to 22.6 percent as compared to the December 2023 record of 19.6 percent.
As of Tuesday, February 6, the agriculture department's price monitoring in Metro Manila markets showed that imported special rice costs P57 to P65; premium rice ranges from P52 to P62; and well-milled rice is prized at P50 to P55.
The local special rice costs P54 to P65; premium rice ranges from P50 to P61; well-milled rice from P49 to P56; and regular milled rice from 50 to P53.
