THE national average retail price for well-milled rice in early December was P54.15 per kilogram (kg), according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Rice prices increased 2.32% during the Dec. 1 to 5 period, which the PSA calls the first phase of December, compared with prices between Nov. 15 and 17.
The highest retail price was P57.75 per kg in Zamboanga Peninsula, while the lowest was in Ilocos Region, where rice retailed for P50.06 per kg.
The PSA reported that regular-milled rice averaged P48.84 per kg in the first phase of December, up 2.99% compared to the second phase of November.
The highest price for regular-milled rice was recorded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM with an average of P52.66 per kg.
At the low end was the Western Visayas, where regular-milled rice averaged P43.79 per kg. — Adrian H. Halili