MANILA – The Alliance of Filipino Rice Retailers (AFRRA) supports the suggestion to put a price ceiling on imported rice being sold in the market.
AFFRA president Danilo Boy Garcia said that the government must confirm costs and traders’ allowable margins so that rice retailers will not be forced to just follow the traders price.
“Tignan ng gobyerno magkano ang acquisition cost, magkano landed cost, magkano ang allowable margin ng mga traders para ibenta, kasi kapag hindi mo nilagyan ng price ceiling ang allowable margin ng mga trader ang bagsak niyan sa consumer…para di kami maging sunod-sunodan sa dikta ng mga rice traders,” he told GMA News.
However, Garcia added, locally produced rice by Filipino farmers should not be included in the suggested price ceiling, as the ceiling is meant to prioritize and help local farmers.
According to AFFRA based on its monitoring, imported rice being sold in the market is more expensive now are more expensive compare to its landed cost, or the total price of an imported item including transportation fees, duties, and other costs.
That is why, Garcia suggests, “If the government can establish an allowable margin, ang makikinabang consumers. At the same time pabor din sa amin dahil ‘yung availability at ‘yung puhunan namin mapagkakasya namin, makikinabang ang consumers.”
AFRRA points to the National Food Authority and its council’s supposedly delayed actions on rice importation as the cause of the recent rice supply issues.
Garcia added that the government’s tax reform law TRAIN has also contributed to the increase of rice prices in the market.
The Alliance is hoping that a “rice summit” could be convened where stakeholders such as rice traders, rice retailers, truckers, and the NFA could sit down and discuss measures to solve the rice supply problem. (GMA News)
