Market visits yield no violation notices in initial round of P50-per-kg rice enforcement

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said inspection visits it conducted at various Metro Manila public markets yielded no violation notices, though some rice dealers found charging more than the P50 price cap for imported grain were not issued citations because they were disposing of stock purchased at higher prices.

At Commonwealth Market in Quezon City, Assistant Agriculture Secretary for Operations U-Nichols A. Manalo and Undersecretary for Operations Roger V. Navarro visited five rice stalls, along with other government officials, officers from the Philippine National Police and the market’s administration.

Mr. Manalo told reporters that the other violations by some sellers included improper labeling.

He said the vendors charging more than P50 per kilogram (kg) for imported rice had purchased their stock in April and had not disposed of the expensive inventory due to a slowdown following the fire that hit parts of the market on April 25.

“I hope from this day on they will follow the price cap and, at the same time, change the color-coding of their labels so that our consumers will see that there is cheap rice,” Mr. Manalo told reporters.

The DA handed out flyers notifying dealers of the price cap and the color-coded labeling scheme. Under this system, domestically-grown rice must carry white labels, to distinguish them from the price-capped imported rice, which must carry blue labels and place of origin. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza