(Naitala noong Disyembre) 14-YEAR HIGH RICE INFLATION

BAGAMA’T bumagal ang overall inflation sa bansa noong Disyembre, ang rate ng pagtaas sa halaga ng bigas ay bumilis sa huling buwan ng taon.

Ayon kay Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) chief at National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa, ang rice inflation ay bumilis sa 19.6% noong nakaraang buwan mula sa 15.8% noong November 2023.

Ito anv pinakamabilis na inflation print para sa food staple sa loog ng 14 taon o magmula noong March 2009, nang maitala ang rice inflation sa 22.9%.

Sa datos ng PSA, ang average national price ng regular milled rice noong nakaraang buwan ay P48.50 kada kilo mula P46.73 noong November 2023 at mas mataas kumpara sa P39.63 kada kilo noong December 2022.

Para sa well-milled rice, ang presyo kada kilo noong December 2023 ay nasa P53.82, mas mataas kumpara sa P51.99 kada kilo noong November 2023.

Year-on-year, ang presyo ng bigas ay tumaas ng halos P10 dahil ang presyo nito ay P43.98 kada  kilo noong December 2022.

Kaugnay nito, sinabi ni  National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan na, “Amid an uptrend in international rice prices and the expected negative impact of the El Niño phenomenon, the Interagency Committee on Inflation and Market Outlook will closely monitor the situation and propose further temporary tariff adjustments if necessary.”

“We will also push for trade facilitation measures to reduce other non-tariff barriers. While our medium-term objective to boost agricultural productivity remains, it is important to augment domestic supply to ease inflationary pressures on consumers, particularly those in low-income households,” dagdag pa ni Balisacan.