Rice retailers have noted the decreasing price of commercial rice in Cebu markets.
Erwin Gok-ong, president of the Cebu Market Vendors Cooperative, said yesterday that the price of commercial rice has been decreasing since two weeks ago.
He said they attributed this development to the lowering of the selling price of commercial rice at the start of the harvest season and the decrease in the price of corn.
Likewise, Gok-ong said the overflowing supply of NFA rice may have also contributed to the situation. Vendors are getting their supply of commercial rice mostly from Manila and Mindanao rice traders, he added.
He said the prices of both the regular-milled rice (RMR) and well-milled rice (WMR) have gone down since two weeks ago.
The price of RMR now ranges from P33.00 to P35.00 while WMR ranges from P36.00 to P44.00 per kilogram.
Many customers prefer to buy the regular-milled rice because it is cheaper and the quality is good, he said.
But Gok-ong said the price of first class rice like Ganador and Sinandomeng have remained above P40 per kilo. “Di gyud ni mawagtang nga klase sa bugas kay bisan pa mahal, naa man ganahan gyud mokaon ani,” he said.
According to him, the National Food Authority has also increased their NFA rice allocation from 50 bags per week to 60.
Meanwhile, Gok-ong said that the price of corn has also decreased in the past weeks. In the first week of July, he said they are buying corn from their suppliers at P1,450 per sack but last week, the price went down to P1,150 per sack.
“Diri sa atoa, basta available ang mais, mas ma-prefer ang mga tawo mokaon og mais kay dali ra makabusog unya dugay sila gutomon,” he explained.
He said they are expecting their rice allocation from the NFA to increase in the coming weeks, so consumers should also expect more decrease in price of commercial rice.
The NFA rice, which is sold at P18.25 per kilo, is not only available in the markets but also in the depressed areas to make it more accessible to the people, especially the poor. — Niña Sumacot/WAB