Rice traders, retailers warned vs SRP violations

The Department of Agriculture (DA) reiterated its warning that traders and retailers caught selling rice at prices higher than the government’s suggested retail price (SRP) stand to lose their business licenses.

The government on Nov. 9 started imposing sanctions on rice retailers caught selling over the SRP, as it implemented the mechanism in cities and provinces nationwide to benefit more consumers.

“The NFA (National Food Authority) will cancel their licenses to engage in rice trading and retailing,” DA Secretary Manny Piñol said in his Facebook page.

Piñol said SRP violators could also suffer penalties of a jail term of between four months to four years, and a penalty of between P2,000 to P1 million.

He said the SRP program for Metro Manila and the Greater Manila Area was implemented on Oct. 27, although the penalties and fines could only be enforced 15 days after the publication of the guidelines as approved by the NFA Council.

The agriculture chief further said the following SRPs for rice covering the provinces were set: local regular milled rice -P39/kilo, local well-milled rice -P44/kilo, local premium rice -P47/kilo, imported well-milled rice-P39/kilo, and imported premium rice -P43/kilo.

Piñol said the use of fancy names for rice like “Senandomeng”, “Super Angelica”, “Double Diamond”, and others which mislead the consumers, will also be stopped.

SOURCE: Iloilo Metropolitan Times

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