DA Sets Nationwide ₱53/Kilo Suggested Retail Price for Local Rice

 In an effort to stabilize market prices for the country's staple food, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced it will implement a nationwide Suggested Retail Price (SRP) of ₱53 per kilogram for locally grown rice.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stated that the ₱53-per-kilo benchmark was established after extensive dialogues with rice industry stakeholders, including local millers and trading associations.

A Consumer Guide, Not a Hard Cap

Unlike the rigid mandatory ceilings placed on external supplies, Secretary Tiu Laurel clarified that the incoming local rice policy will serve strictly as an advisory mechanism. Because the policy is non-binding, the DA opted to implement it on a nationwide scale rather than regionalizing the figures, ensuring a uniform standard across public markets.

The move is designed to safeguard urban consumers from retail profiteering while simultaneously protecting farmgate buying prices so that local agricultural workers can comfortably recover their production costs.

Broader Rice Stabilization Efforts

The announcement arrives amidst an aggressive push by the Marcos administration to manage food inflation. The upcoming local rice SRP follows closely on the heels of other major interventions from the Department of Agriculture:

Imported Rice Price Cap: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently approved a mandatory ₱50 per kilogram price cap specifically for 5 percent broken imported rice, which is slated for full enforcement.

Emergency Buffer Releases: The National Food Authority (NFA) continues to release strategic buffer stocks to public outlets to drive down baseline costs.

Expanded Subsidized Programs: The government is rolling out more Kadiwa ng Pangulo kiosks, offering direct-from-farm "Sulit Rice" alternatives priced between ₱36 and ₱40 per kilo for low-income and vulnerable sectors.

The formal administrative memorandum detailing the nationwide ₱53 local rice SRP is expected to be officially published and distributed by the DA.