The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced a further reduction in the price of rice sold under its “Rice-for-All” initiative at Kadiwa stores, a move aimed at making the staple more affordable to consumers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. revealed on Thursday that the price of the 25% broken rice variety would be slashed from P40 per kilogram to P38. The new price will take effect Friday, just ahead of the implementation of the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for 5% broken imported rice.
“This price reduction will take effect on Friday, in anticipation of the P58 per kilo MSRP for imported rice, which will be enforced beginning Monday, January 20, in Metro Manila markets,” Tiu Laurel said.
The implementation of the MSRP will apply initially to Metro Manila, with plans to expand the initiative to other key cities across the country. The measure will be reviewed monthly, taking into account fluctuations in global market prices and tariff rates.
The DA has also emphasized that should prices of imported rice consistently exceed the set MSRP, the agency will introduce a stricter framework for suggested retail prices (SRP), which would include penalties for non-compliance.
Tiu Laurel explained that the MSRP framework incorporates a modest profit margin of around P10 per kilo above the landed cost of imported rice, excluding specialty rice varieties such as malagkit (sticky rice), Japanese, and black rice.
This move is part of the DA’s ongoing efforts to make rice more accessible to the public, especially in light of rising global rice prices and the government’s commitment to stabilizing local food prices.
