By Manny Piñol
The National Food Authority (NFA), which is now under the Department of Agriculture, has 150,000 bags of rice allocated for the flood-hit provinces of the Bicol Region.
The NFA rice stocks to be sold at P27 per kilo will be enough to cover the needs of the region for 40 days at 7,000 bags released daily.
NFA Acting Administrator Tomas Escarez said the stocks include imported rice which is now being unloaded in the Ports of Bicol and locally procured paddy rice.
Escarez said Albay Province warehouse has 90,904 bags; Camarines Norte-9,819; Camarines Sur-11,316; Catanduanes-3,861; Masbate-26,137 and Sorsogon 5,855.
As of January 2, the NFA has released 6,879 bags to the provincial governments and LGUs.
Albay received 1,450 bags, Camarines Norte 1,400; Camarines Sur 1,775; Catanduanes 300; Masbate 150; and Sorsogon 1,804.
Nationwide, the NFA has imported rice stocks good for 8 months while the national rice buffer stocks of the country going into 2019 is at 134 days, the highest in recent years.
When the NFA was transferred to the DA four months ago, President Rody Duterte ordered the DA to ensure that NFA does not run out of stocks of government-subsidized rice.
Early last year, a delay in the decision to import, depleted NFA rice stocks during the lean months triggering market speculation which pushed rice prices up.
(Photos downloaded from public websites)
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