Talk to traders first before enforcing SRP, NFA urged

NATIONAL Food Authority (NFA) is encouraged to conduct first a consultation before implementing the Suggested Retail Price (SRP) of rice products.

“For me, the SRP should undergo consultation between traders and stakeholders because they (NFA) are not businessmen. So they have to know what the inputs are when it comes to pricing,” said Senator Sonny Angara.

Angara said that he and the other senators would be open to such suggestions.

He added that if there are factors that needed to be considered, NFA should take it into account.

“If there are local factors that would distinguish Cebu and other places, then they should be taken into account,” he added.

Earlier, the Grains Retailers Confederation in Central Visayas (Grecon-7) has made an appeal to NFA and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to implement a different SRP on rice in the region.

Grecon President and Consolacion Mayor Teresa “Nene” Alegado told reporters that NFA should also consider the transportation cost that retailers had to shoulder in ordering rice from traders.

Based on the NFA Memorandum Circular AO-2018-10-002 dated October 24, 2018, the SRP for imported rice is now pegged at P39 per kilo for well-milled, P40 per kilo for imported premium grade two, and P43 per kilo for premium grade one.

Meanwhile for local rice, the SRPs are: P39 per kilo for regular-milled, P44 per kilo for well-milled, and P47 per kilo for premium grade rice.

Aside from this, since Central Visayas is a non-rice producing region, it is dependent on rice supplies from other areas in the country.

Last November 13, NFA-7 has also conducted an orientation on the general guidelines on SRP and prescribed labeling for milled rice which was attended by rice traders and retailers.

NFA-7 regional director Fernando Nuñez earlier stated that last October 26, the National Capital Region (NCR) has already started implementing the SRP for rice while last Friday, its nationwide implementation was launched in Ormoc City in the province of Leyte.

Senator Nancy Binay, for her part, also plans to raise the issue to the concerned agencies upon budget deliberations.

“We are already in the budget season, maybe when they present we can raised that issue especially to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Agriculture (DA),” Binay said.