MEDIA RELEASE
14 May 2008
CASE FOUND PRICES OF FRAGRANT RICE IN SUPERMARKETS VARIED, SOME OF
SUCH PRICE DIFFERENCES CAN BE AS HIGH AS 48%
In view of
rising inflation, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) conducted a
survey during the first week of May to check on rice prices. Since price
increase of rice is of great concern to consumers, we decided to conduct a
special survey on prices of rice. We noticed that fragrant rice is very popular
among consumers. Therefore, the focus of this survey is on fragrant rice only.
By conducting this survey, we wish to give consumers an overview of the pricing
of fragrant rice sold in Singapore. In addition, it is noticeable that pricing
of fragrant rice is not consistent across different supermarkets/hypermarts and
the price differences can be huge.
To obtain a
more comprehensive set of survey results, CASE randomly chose 1 to 2
supermarkets/hypermarts each from 5 zones in Singapore: North, South, East, West
and Central. They are namely Carrefour at Plaza Singapura, Cold Storage at
Harbourfront Centre, Giant at Vivocity, Mustafa at Little India, NTUC FairPrice
at Clementi Central, Prime at Hougang Ave 1, Sheng Siong at Ten Mile Junction,
and Shop ‘N’ Save at Toa Payoh Central.
A total of
10 brands of fragrant rice were surveyed across 8 different supermarkets/hypermarts.
This includes both housebrands and non housebrands. Please refer to table 1
below for the list of fragrant rice surveyed as well as the range of prices.
(Note: All prices listed refer to the
normal selling price or regular price, and they are
subjected to promotions and discounts depending on the retailer).
Table 1: List of fragrant rice survey and the
range of prices surveyed from supermarkets and hypermarts (Highlighted brands
are housebrands).
|
S/N |
Brand |
Range
of prices (5kg) |
%
difference |
Range
of prices
(10kg) |
%
difference |
|
Lowest
|
Highest |
Lowest |
Highest |
|
1 |
Golden Peony Fragrant Rice |
$9.00 |
$12.80 |
42.22% |
$24.80 |
- |
- |
|
2 |
Golden Phoenix Fragrant
Rice |
$13.30 |
$15.00 |
12.78% |
$18.80 |
$28.00 |
48.93% |
|
3 |
Golden Pineapple
Fragrant Rice |
$9.64 |
$10.50 |
8.92% |
$19.00 |
$19.60 |
3.15% |
|
4 |
New Moon Premium Fragrant
Rice |
$10.20 |
$13.20 |
29.41% |
$18.90 |
$25.50 |
34.92% |
|
5 |
Royal Umbrella Fragrant
Rice |
$13.80 |
$15.00 |
8.69% |
$26.80 |
$27.30 |
1.86% |
|
6 |
Songhe Thai Fragrant Rice
|
$11.20 |
$14.85 |
32.58% |
$21.85 |
$28.65 |
31.12% |
|
7 |
Carrefour Fragrant Rice |
$7.50 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
8 |
Fairprice Thai Fragrant
Rice |
$6.60 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
9 |
First Choice Fragrant Rice
|
$8.75 |
$9.10 |
4.00% |
- |
- |
- |
|
10 |
Prime Choice Fragrant Rice
|
$7.50 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
There are 2 main parts to Table
1 shown above:
-
The range
of prices for different brand of fragrant rice for a 5kg pack and 10kg pack
were shown. For instance, for Golden Peony Fragrant Rice, it would mean that
the price range for a 5kg pack is between $9.00 to $12.80. For a 10kg pack,
only the lowest price is stated. This is because Golden Peony Fragrant Rice is
found in the shelf of only 2 supermarkets among those surveyed, and it was
observed that the regular price of a 10kg pack is $24.80 in both supermarkets.
-
The
percentage difference of the lowest price and highest price surveyed for a
particular brand of fragrant rice is calculated. With reference to Golden
Peony Fragrant Rice again, the percentage difference for a 5kg pack between
the prices surveyed in various supermarkets/hypermarts is 42.22%.
Table 1 is
also presented in the following 3 charts for comparison purposes. (For detailed
prices of fragrant rice surveyed in the supermarkets/hypermarts, please refer to
enclosed Annex A.)
(Note: For
figure 3, prices for housebrand fragrant rice – First Choice Fragrant Rice, is
available in 3 supermarkets/hypermarket among those surveyed and there are price
variations. For the other 4 housebrand fragrant rice, there are no price
variations as they are each available in only one of the supermarket surveyed in
the list.)
From our
findings, CASE notes the following:
1.
Prices of fragrant rice in supermarkets and hypermarts are very
competitive, and they carry out promotions from time to time. With sales
promotions and discounts, it is observed that prices generally vary slightly in
each supermarket/hypermart.
2.
Housebrands fragrant rice are generally cheaper than non
housebrands fragrant rice.
3.
We found that the lowest housebrand fragrant rice (5kg pack) is
Fairprice Thai Fragrant Rice with a regular price of $6.60 while the lowest non
housebrand fragrant rice (5kg pack) is Golden Peony Fragrant Rice with a regular
price of $9.00 (Cold Storage Harbourfront Centre).
4.
Both Songhe Thai Fragrant Rice and Royal Umbrella Fragrant Rice
are available in all the supermarkets surveyed, and they are among the more
expensive brands of rice in comparison with the other 8 brands surveyed.
5.
Regular prices for Royal Umbrella Rice that are found to be
available in the shelf of the supermarkets are quite consistent in the prices
surveyed. (5kg at $13.80 and 10kg at $26.80).
6.
It is noted that the regular prices of the same brand of fragrant
rice could vary from one supermarket to another. For instance, we found that
Prices of Songhe Thai Fragrant Rice tend to vary greatly, ranging from $11.20 to
$14.85 for a 5kg pack, and $21.85 to $28.65 for a 10kg pack.
7.
CASE also notice that the greatest percentage difference in prices
in different supermarket for non housebrand fragrant rice is Golden Peony
Fragrant Rice (42.22%) for a 5kg pack and Golden Phoenix Fragrant Rice (48.93%)
for a 10kg pack.
8.
It is also noted that the percentage differences for non
housebrand fragrant rice is the least in Royal Umbrella Fragrant Rice for both
5kg (8.69%) and 10kg (1.86%) pack.
9.
CASE does not take into consideration any brands that are out of
stock at the time of our survey.
CASE
encourages the public not to hoard rice even though rice prices have been
increasing. Hoarding rice may force prices up further. As mentioned, as the
price or percentage differences in fragrant rice may be huge, consumers should
shop around and compare prices so that they can get the better price for their
purchases. However, if consumers wish to opt for cheaper alternative, they may
wish to go for white rice instead of fragrant rice. We strongly urge all
consumers to buy what is required, and all retailers to be transparent in their
pricing.
According
to UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation experts, world rice prices are
forecasted to remain high this year, in spite of a record global crop, because
of export restrictions and rising consumption. Prices are expected to remain
high, at least until the third quarter of 2008, unless restrictions on exports
are eased in the coming months.
Seah Seng Choon
Executive Director
CASE
Other
press release can be found
here.
