HOUSE appropriations committee chairperson and Davao City Representative Karlo Nograles has urged the National Food Authority (NFA) to look into a possible price manipulation by rice traders in Mindanao in light of the reported high prices of rice in Zamboanga City.
The price of rice in the said province, according to Nograles, ranges from P55 to P68 per kilo.
The average retail price of a kilo of regular milled rice in the country is P42 while the average retail price of well milled rice is P45 per kilo, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
NFA said the scarcity of rice is due to the recent typhoons which affected the rice production and shipment.
"Even accounting for less than optimal weather conditions, the discrepancy of the prices in the Zamboanga peninsula is huge, masyado pa rin pong mahal ang presyong ito," said Nograles.
"Prices like these put a huge strain on the limited budgets of families who just want to have three square meals a day. The NFA should check if something illegal is going on," he added.
The Mindanao-based solon said he received information that unscrupulous traders are hoarding more rice, thereby driving up prices further.
According to the reports Nograles has received, these are the prices of rice in Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX): Dipolog, Zamboanga Del Norte, P55 to P60 per kilo; Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur, P55 to P60 per kilo; Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur, P55 to P60 per kilo; and Basilan, P60 to P70 per kilo.
Nograles said he has already asked the NFA and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to update him on their inspections in various rice warehouses in Mindanao.
Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat likewise appealed to government agencies to step up the distribution of NFA rice in the region.
Nograles believes the allocation of more NFA rice will help stabilize the soaring prices of commercial rice as consumers would have more choices of rice to choose from.
NFA rice is the most affordable rice variety in the market. It costs P27. (VoxPop Philippines)
