Rice wholesale prices rise sharply in March

THE wholesale price of rice rose sharply year on year in March, according to preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said the national average wholesale price of well-milled rice rose 12.6% to P50.06 per kilo. The average was the highest since the P50.08 per kilo recorded in July 2024.

The biggest decline in the well-milled wholesale price was logged in Soccsksargen, where it rose 26.8% year on year to P49.55 per kilo.

Wholesale prices of well-milled rice in the National Capital Region rose 18% from a year earlier to P56.45 per kilo.

The average wholesale price of regular-milled rice in March rose 12.2% year on year to P44.71 per kilo. The national average was the highest since the P44.79 per kilo posted in October 2024.

The Central Visayas posted the biggest increase in the wholesale price of regular-milled rice, with the regional average rising 36.7% year on year to P51.01 per kilo.

The wholesale price of regular-milled rice in the National Capital Region rose 13% year on year to P48.44 per kilo.

Premium and special rice posted wholesale price increases in March, with their national averages rising 13.2% and 10.2% year on year, respectively.

Meanwhile, the national average wholesale price of yellow corn grains in March rose 16% year on year to P25.39 per kilo. The corresponding price for white corn grains rose 37.1% to P25.34 per kilo.

The wholesale price of yellow corn grits in March  rose 10.5% year on year to P32.60 per kilo, while the price of white corn grits surged 40.7% to P41.29. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel