By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have yet to finalize penalties against rice retailers who fail to adhere to the imposed price ceiling on rice.
Lynna Cardinal, DTI-Negros Occidental officer-in-charge, said they are gathering explanations from rice retailers in the province as to why they are not complying with the price ceiling.
The price cap stipulates that regular-milled rice should not exceed P41, while well-milled rice should not go beyond P45.
The feedback they have collected will be included in their report which would help the government to find a more effective solution to the challenges currently faced by the rice retailers.
Cardinal also said they are awaiting the release of the implementing rules and regulations before imposing the price ceiling.
The DTI will monitor prices of rice sold in supermarkets and grocery stores, while the DA will focus on public markets.
Meanwhile, in a radio interview on 96.7 XFM Bacolod, a local rice retailer said he is not in favor of the current price cap on rice.
According to him, it is a burden for them to comply with the price ceiling due to high prices of rice they bought from suppliers.
He said he invested more than P100,000 in capital.
He sells around 20 sacks of local and imported rice.
The retailer noticed that in the current market for rice trading, some are selling at higher prices.
He believes he needs to lower rice prices to reduce his inventory.
On August 31, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is also the concurrent secretary of the DA, approved a recommendation to impose mandated price ceilings on rice amid the current surge in retail prices across the country.
The order came into effect on Tuesday, September 5.
Earlier, the Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) was also monitoring the compliance among local rice dealers.
Dr. Dina Gensola, OPA officer-in-charge, said their Agri-Business Section will help the DTI and DA in monitoring rice prices.
They will also submit their documentation with photos to DA in Western Visayas.
However, Gensola admitted that the OPA does not have police powers to enforce penalties against violators of the rice price ceiling.
She said it would be up to DA and DTI to deal with the offenders./DGB, WDJ