DTI, NFA urged to consistently implement law on SRP of rice

CITY Legislators, headed by Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin V. Uy, during the regular session Monday, adopted a resolution urging the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the National Food Authority (NFA) to consistently enforce the Memorandum Circular issued for purposes of maintaining the Suggested Retail Prices on rice.

This after representatives of DTI and NFA appeared during the session and shed light on the prices of rice in the market.

The DTI and NFA, along with the NBI and PNP, were part of the surveillance team created pursuant to Administrative Order No. 13 Series of 2018 issued by the President on September 21, 2018.

The surveillance team is tasked to streamline the administrative procedures on the imposition SRP of agriculture products.

It is also tasked to prevent price manipulation under the Price Act which includes profiteering, hoarding, and the cartel.

To fully implement this, the DTI, DA, NFA, and SRA signed a joint Memorandum Circular sometime last October 2018 and laid down the responsibilities of each regulatory agencies mentioned. DTI is tasked to assist the DA and NFA and, as part of the surveillance team created by the president, will help to conduct the monitoring and enforcement of prices of rice in the market.

Last October 24, 2018, DA Secretary issued NFA MC No. 2 (Guidelines on the SRP and Labelling on Rice and Monitoring of Prices) to be in coordination with regulatory agencies like DTI.

“This is why DTI came into play in the SRP of rice, when in fact under our Price Act (RA 7581), DTI is mandated only on manufactured and processed items. Right now the monitoring of SRP of rice is already included in our monitoring of basic and prime commodities every week in the market,” the DTI Misamis Oriental director said.

“But we can only do up to so much because the jurisdiction really falls to the DA. So if we record any violation of the SRP in the course of our monitoring, we can issue a notice of violation but the handling of the administrative case will be turned over to the DA,” she further explained.

Under RA 7581 (Price Act), agricultural products which are in their original state, meaning it has not undergone through certain processing, falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture. By virtue of Administrative Order No. 7 Series of 2015, DA shall conduct price and supply monitoring on all agri-commodities and that includes rice.

The legislation was endorsed by the committee on trade and commerce chaired by Councilor George S. Goking. (sp)