The Department of Agriculture will soon implement a new trend in the marketing of rice to ensure food safety and security.

Come mid-2019, the country’s national staple that will be sold in the markets will come in vacuum-sealed packaging.

“This is to ensure the quality of rice sold to the Filipino people,” Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol announced.

According to the agri chief, the strategy is still being studied, but its main objective is to provide the rice eaters clean and safe rice to eat.

“Sa palengke kasi, nakalagay lang yan sa mga kahon, nakabukas sa lahat, so we thought of making measures to keep it more sanitary and healthy,” he said.

“Bago ito sa industriya kaya pinag-aaralan nating mabuti,” Piñol added.

The Secretary also announced that DA and the National Food Authority will implement a suggested retail price for rice at the end of October.

Under the new SRP, regular milled rice will be sold at P38 per kilo, well-milled rice at P40-41, and whole grain head rice at P42-44. No SRP will be set for special rice.

“There will only be four rice classifications from now on,” Piñol said.

“Apat na klase na lang po ng bigas ang ibebenta sa merkado, wala nang Sinandomeng or Angelica,” the agri chief stressed.

He added that the sacks should indicate the date when the rice was milled, the place where it came from and the name of the farmers’ group that supplied it. ### (odarodriguez/DA-AFID)