NFA to do away with ‘fancy’ rice names

Piñol said the teams will check the actual weight of the rice in sacks as a precaution against underweighing. (PNA Photo)

MANILA — No more fancy names for rice like “sinandomeng” and others, just “local” and “imported.”

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said this was approved by the National Food Authority (NFA) Council on Monday (Oct. 8) as the new way to label rice in the markets.

In his Facebook page on the same day, Piñol said the NFA Council, the policy-making body of the rice supply agency, had also approved the implementation of the Suggested Retail Prices for both local and imported rice by the last week of October.

He said the rice bags must have markings indicating when the rice was harvested, what farmers’ group produced it, the name of the miller, and the certification by the Department of Agriculture, the NFA, and the Department of Trade and Industry that the rice had passed quality and food safety standards.

To protect the public from unscrupulous traders, Piñol said the Council also decided on Monday to deploy NFA teams to monitor prices of rice in the markets.

Piñol said the teams will check the actual weight of the rice in sacks as a precaution against underweighing.