CITY OF MALOLOS—The commercial rice being sold at the “Tulong sa Bayan Caravan” of the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse in this city for P39 per kilo were immediately sold out.
The commercial rice priced at P39 per kilo was the commitment of Bulacan rice traders to President Duterte’s call to sell to consumers rice pegged below the P40 per kilo.
The said caravan program in the province was coordinated by Elvira Cruz-Obana, provincial NFA manager for Bulacan, with rice traders belonging to the Bulacan, Rice Millers Association (BRMA).
Members of the BRMA recently delivered 3,000 cavans of commercial rice and sold these to Bulacan rice retailers at a wholesale price of P1,870 per 50-kilo sack, or P37.40 per kilo.
These were sold to accredited NFA retailers on the condition the same would be sold in retail to the public consumers at P39 per kilo.
It didn’t take long before it was depleted, according to Cruz-Obana.
However, BRMA Spokesman Roderico Sulit said commercial rice traders at the Intercity Industrial Estate and at the Golden City industrial rice centers in Bocaue and Balagtas towns have enough commercial rice that are being sold wholesale at P1,860 to P1,900 per 50-kilo sack, or from P32.20 to P38 per kilo.
On the other hand, Geevie David, vice president of the Intercity Industrial Estate Ricemillers Association, said their members have enough rice stocks that can be sold to the public at the said price until the NFA rice stocks have been replenished.