BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have stepped up their monitoring of rice products to ensure their stable and affordable supply and prices for consumers in the province.
DTI Acting Provincial Director Ramil Garcia said they have recently conducted a Joint Price and Supply Monitoring of rice with the DA and the Local Price Coordinating Council which covered 18 establishments in the municipalities of Bayombong, Solano, and Bagabag.
The monitoring of rice supply and prices will be conducted twice a week, particularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays in various towns of the province.
“Initial findings revealed that the prices of local rice ranged from P40 to P55 per kilo, while imported rice was priced between P57 and P65 per kilo,” he said.
Ramil said the team also observed that many rice retailers were focused on reducing their stock of imported rice in support of the government’s advocacy campaign to prioritize the availability and sale of locally sourced rice.
DA representative Josephine Bernardino said the recent data gathered will be used as baseline data on the prevailing prices of rice, which will be further utilized in their plans to set Suggested Retail Prices (SRPs) for the said commodity.
The intensified rice supply and price monitoring is part of a broader agreement between DTI and DA to conduct regular price and supply monitoring twice a week, beginning January 14, 2025.
“This strategy supports market stabilization and promotes the agricultural industry in the province,” Bernardino said. (OTB/BME/PIA NVizcaya)
