Philippines : DA, retailers tie up to sell cheaper rice
The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) is partnering with major retailers like SM, Robinsons, 7-Eleven, Puregold, and MerryMart to make affordable rice more accessible and stabilize prices. The program, piloted in Metro Manila, will offer P29/kg rice for vulnerable sectors and various grades under the Rice-for-All program. If successful, the initiative will expand nationwide.
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will be partnering with major retailers to make affordable rice more accessible to consumers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. met on Tuesday with representatives of supermarkets, groceries and convenience stores to discuss ways of widening the availability of rice and stabilize market prices.
Partnerships with SM, Robinsons, 7-Eleven, Puregold, and MerryMart are “a solution that we believe will stabilize rice prices faster and more efficiently,” he said.
“But we need to find the right balance to operationalize this properly and secure everyone’s cooperation.”
The program will be piloted in Metro Manila and will have two components: P29 per kilo rice — comprising aging but still consumable stocks from the National Food Authority that is sold to the poor and vulnerable sectors — and the Rice-for-All program with different rice grades such as 5-percent broken (RFA5), 25-percent broken (RFA25) and 100-percent broken (RFA100) or Sulit Rice.
Government-owned Food Terminal Inc. will manage the supply and packaging of rice to be sold by retailers.
The DA claimed that the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program was helpful in addressing stubbornly high rice prices and that the partnership with retail giants would have a long-term impact on prices, especially in urban areas.
The partnership with retailers will be expanded to other areas in the country should the Metro Manila pilot test prove successful, the department added.
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Source : The Manila Times
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