CEBU'S wholesale price of regular milled rice rose by 43.5 percent in April 2026 compared to the same month last year, while the wholesale price of white corn grits surged by 76.3 percent, according to government data.
These figures come from the Statistical Tables on the Monthly Average Wholesale Prices for Cereals for April 2026, released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday, May 8, 2026.
The data reflects the trend in Central Visayas and Cebu Province, where the average wholesale price of regular milled rice reached P48.68 per kilo in April 2026, up from P33.92 per kilo in April 2025.
National price comparison
This average exceeded the national level of P47.24 per kilo. However, rice prices in Cebu eased month-on-month, falling by 4.6 percent in April from the P51.01 per kilo recorded in March 2026.
The decline in Cebu contrasted with the national trend, where the average wholesale price of regular milled rice rose by 4.1 percent from March to April. Among the areas monitored, Cebu’s rice prices remained higher than those in the National Capital Region at P47.50 per kilo, Zamboanga Peninsula at P47.61, Eastern Visayas at P47.30, Western Visayas at P43.31 and Negros Island Region at P45.40.
Higher regional costs
Cebu’s price remained lower than averages in the Davao Region, where regular milled rice cost P53.93 per kilo, Caraga at P52.80, Bicol Region at P50.39 and Northern Mindanao at P49.87.
Several provinces also posted higher prices than Cebu, including Davao del Norte at P55.66 per kilo, Misamis Occidental at P54.34, Davao de Oro at P53.46, Davao del Sur at P53.33, the City of Davao at P53.25 and Sorsogon at P52.74.
White corn grits surge
While Cebu Province leads Central Visayas in corn production, its prices for white corn grits soared to rank second among seven reporting regions in the country. The price movement for corn was significantly sharper than that of rice.
Cebu’s average wholesale price of white corn grits reached P63.48 per kilo in April 2026, a jump from P36 per kilo in April 2025. This rate was also much higher than the national average of P51.95 per kilo.
Steep monthly increase
From P42.75 per kilo in March 2026, the price of white corn grits in Cebu jumped by 48.5 percent in April. This was more than double the national month-on-month increase of 21.3 percent.
Cebu’s April price for corn grits was higher than those in the Davao Region at P55.91 per kilo, Caraga at P56, Soccsksargen at P50.58, Zamboanga Peninsula at P49.20 and Northern Mindanao at P43.56. It was lower only than Eastern Visayas and Southern Leyte, which both recorded prices of P67.51 per kilo. / CDF
