No NFA rice stocks in warehouses, markets

By May 8, 2018Headlines, News

AMPLE  COMMERCIAL RICE AVAILABLE

THERE are no rice stocks in the warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Western Pangasinan and the markets, according to Lita Catabay, the cereal agency’s senior enforcement and investigation officer for Western Pangasinan.

Speaking at a KBP Forum on May 3, Catabay said her office was still waiting for the imported rice stocks to arrive around the end of May.

Although there are no NFA rice stocks now, Catabay said there are 271,594 bags of commercial rice available and household stocks of 709,778 bags as of a May 3 inventory, she said.

She said the stock will last 75 days.

She added that the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines and the NFA have established rice outlets of Bigas Tulong sa Bayan last week to serve buyers at ₱39 per kilo of commercial rice.

The outlets are located in Alaminos City, Sual, Lingayen, Dagupan City, Mangaldan, Calasiao, Bayambang and Mangatarem, she said.

This arrangement will go on until the imported rice stocks arrive, she said.

She said a buyer can buy from three to five kilos each depending on the number of people queuing to buy.

She added that what NFA cannot serve right now is an expected allocation in case of calamity.

“We cannot serve the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development, OCD (Office of Civil Defense and local government units in case of calamity,” Catabay said.

She said before their stocks were depleted, local government units have been advised to get their stocks for their feeding program so they can be prioritized. (Eva Visperas)

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