Wholesale rice prices higher in Feb.

THE WHOLESALE PRICE of rice increased in February, according to preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said the national average wholesale price of well-milled rice increased 4.2% year on year in February to P47.72 per kilo.

The biggest increase in the well-milled rice wholesale price was logged in the Caraga region, where it rose 15.7% year on year to P53.14 per kilo.

Wholesale prices of well-milled rice in the National Capital Region rose 15.5% from a year earlier to P53.95 per kilo.

The average wholesale price of regular-milled rice in February rose 0.7% year on year to P41.60 per kilo.

Central Luzon posted the biggest increase in the wholesale price of regular-milled rice, with the regional average rising 12.4% year on year to P44.92 per kilo.

Premium and special rice also posted wholesale price declines, with their national averages rising 6% and 4.9%, respectively.

Meanwhile, the national average wholesale price of yellow corn grains in February fell 5.9% year on year to P19.70 per kilo. The corresponding price for white corn grains rose 54.1% to P26.77 per kilo.

The wholesale price of yellow corn grits in February rose 7.7% year on year to P31.82 per kilo, while the price of white corn grits increased 36.7% to P38.67 per kilo. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel