Cagayan de Oro City — The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Friday that it uncovered a price manipulation scheme by rice retailers in the region. The retailers were labeling regular rice as special rice through price tags at their market stalls.

Ferdinand Carabella, head of the regional Agribusiness and Marketing Division (AMAD), said in a statement that an investigation conducted by the agency revealed that retailers were mixing up the price tags of regular and special rice to mislead consumers into thinking they were buying higher-quality rice.

“We conducted an investigation and analysis on why the retail price of rice remains high in the local market and found out that retailers are putting up price tags on the display, classifying regular rice as special rice,” he said.

To address the price manipulation, Carabella said the DA decided to order the removal of the price tag classifications, allowing consumers to judge and decide which rice to buy.

“Consumers can smell the grains to determine and decide which of the displays to buy,” he said.

The price tagging scheme is typically practiced by small retailers in local markets.

The order to remove price tags coincided with the opening of the Kadiwa Farmers Market in this city.

The Kadiwa Farmers Market, spearheaded by AMAD in partnership with Robinsons, provides a venue for about ten local farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to sell their fresh produce directly to the public.

Participating exhibitors include the Northern Mindanao Federation of Dairy Cooperatives, Fisherfolks of Agusan Aquatic Agriculture Cooperative, Homegrown Marketing Cooperative, Miarayon Talakag Highland Farmers Association, Manzano Farm, CNQ Farm, CdeO Integrated Farm, NM Foods, Agay-ayan MPC, and Chill and Grind.

The DA said the Kadiwa Farmers Market is part of the region’s Kadiwa Pop-up Stores, a marketplace that began in 2020. It is managed by an identified consolidator or supplier who sells locally diverse agri-fishery products at prices lower than those in the general market.