Tulong sa Bayan! P39/KILO LOCAL RICE NOW IN ILOCOS NORTE

By Leilanie Adriano

LAOAG — Several truckloads of rice were delivered to Batac and Laoag City outlets on Wednesday to ensure a stable supply of good quality rice in the market.

Dubbed as “Tulong sa Bayan”, millers and traders will be selling rice to consumers at PHP39 per kilo in support of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s effort to make affordable commercial rice while waiting for replenishment of National Food Authority (NFA) rice buffer stocks.

In Ilocos Norte, the first batch of low-priced commercial rice from the Ilocos Norte Millers Association was delivered Wednesday.

NFA officials said “this effort is a joint project of the Office of the President, the Confederation of Grains Retailers Association of the Philippines, Inc., the Philippine Confederation of Grains Associations and NFA.”

For Vice Governor Eugenio Angelo Marcos Barba, who witnessed the launching of the program in front of Capitol on Wednesday, he said Ilocos Norte has no problem with rice production as it has long been rice sufficient but traders are selling it outside the province which affects the supply and demand in the province.

The expected arrival of some 250,000 metric tons of imported rice next month will likely bring prices of NFA rice back to PHP27 and PHP32 level in the markets nationwide.

To date, commercial rice in the province is pegged at PHP45 per kilo but with the “Tulong ng Bayan” program, it is now available at PHP39.

“This is a great help for our constituents under the initiative of our president and governor to ease the burden in their daily living considering that rice is a staple food among Filipinos,” said Provincial Board member Domingo Ambrocio, in his capacity as chairperson of the committee on agriculture.

After the kick-off launching of the program, more truckloads of low-priced rice will be made available in the 21 towns of the province in the next few days. (PNA)

PHOTO CAPTION: TULONG SA BAYAN. The Ilocos Norte Millers Association delivers tons of rice pegged at PHP39/kg. to Ilocos Norte consumers. (Photo by Leilanie Adriano)