THE national average retail price for well-milled rice in mid-October was P51.67 per kilogram (kg), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in a report.
Prices rose 0.8% for the Oct. 15-17 period, which the PSA refers to as the second phase of October, from P52.55 per kg on Oct. 1-5, or the first phase.
The PSA said that the highest retail prices were recorded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at P57.31 per kg.
On the low end was the Ilocos Region where rice retailed for P46.1 per kg.
The PSA reported that regular-milled rice averaged P45.78 per kg, up 1.1% compared to the first phase.
The price or regular-milled rice was highest in the Eastern Visayas at P48.88 per kg, while Cagayan Valley posted the lowest price of P40.95 per kg.
The national average retail price for refined sugar was P93.64 per kg during the period, down 0.2% from the first phase.
In the second phase of October, prices in the Eastern Visayas were the highest at P106.08 per kg. The lowest price reported in BARMM at P84.5 per kg.
Brown sugar averaged P81.85 per kg, down 0.4% from the previous phase.
The PSA reported that prices were the highest in Eastern Visayas at P87.75 per kg. The lowest price was reported in the Zamboanga Peninsula at P75.02 per kg.
Meanwhile, the PSA reported that a kilogram of dressed chicken averaged P195.13 per kg nationally. This was down 1.2% from the first phase.
Northern Mindanao recorded the highest average retail price of P213.79 per kg, while the lowest was in Central Visayas at P165 per kg. — Adrian H. Halili