DAVAO CITY

In one of the rice stalls on Bangoy street, Banay-banay rice sells at forty-two pesos per kilo while the 7-tonner variety sells at thirty nine pesos per kilo. Consumers were alarmed when commercial rice prices went as high as forty pesos per kilo in a week's time. n a press conference on May 30, Department of Agriculture XI Regional Director Rogelio Chio notes a ten peso increase in the price of rice from last week's average of 34-peso per kilo. He also cites reports that rice prices in Malalag, Davao del Sur, even went up as high as fifty pesos per kilo. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)