PULILAN, Bulacan —- The sale of rice in public market here has slowed down with the scheduled implementation of the rice price ceiling tomorrow, retailers claimed.
Oscar San Pedro, a rice retailer, said that his sales were down by 50% and suspected that buyers are waiting for the price to drop tomorrow as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. set the maximum retail price of regular milled rice at P41 per kilo and P45 for well-milled rice.
San Pedro explained that its very unlikely for them to follow the price ceiling as the prevailing minimum price of per cavan of rice is already P2,440 and if it is sold for P45-per kilo they will lose P150 per cavan.
“I hope that the government did not allow the price of rice to increase and eventually implement a price ceiling,” said San Pedro.
He said that they will continue to sell rice tomorrow and if buyers look for P41 to P45 price per kilo, they will just explain the factors that they cannot meet the price ceiling.
San Pedro appealed to the government to implement the price cap gradually because it will greatly affect the retailers.
