00:00The Agriculture Department lowers the maximum suggested retail price for imported rice from Php 58 to Php 55 per kilo starting Wednesday, February 5
00:10This in an attempt to curb the rise of imported rice prices, which remained high despite the tariff cut from 35 to 15 percent
00:17Starting tomorrow, the MSRP for imported rice of 5 percent will now be sold at Php 55 per kilo
00:29And then by February 15, the MSRP will now be nationwide
00:34DA spokesperson Arnel De Mesa says the agency plans to further lower the MSRP following periodic reviews
00:41This comes just two days after the DA announced a food security emergency on rice, which enabled the National Food Authority to release its rice buffer stocks
00:50As of February 1, imported rice prices ranged from Php 38 for regular milled rice to Php 61 for special rice
00:57In his 2022 campaign, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to lower the price of rice to Php 20 per kilo
