The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a memorandum order (MO) deputizing personnel of the National Food Authority (NFA) in providing technical assistance in the monitoring and enforcement of the mandated price ceilings on rice under Executive Order 39.
Under MO No. 62 series of 2023 signed by DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban on September 7, NFA personnel are now deputized to ensure the correct classification of regular milled rice and well milled rice being sold in markets.
The move was made in response to concerns raised by stakeholders that rice retailers may intentionally mislabel rice products and pass off lower grade stocks as regular milled and well milled.
Last week, the DA said compliance rate of retailers to the mandated rice price caps is high at 95 percent.
The DA also acknowledged issues raised by retailers of limited supply of regular milled and well milled rice, which are capped at P41 per kg and P45 per kg, respectively.
