Rice prices will be stable, NFA assures
THE National Food Authority-eastern Pangasinan branch has assured the public of stable prices of rice in the market given the sufficient supply in stock.
Ligaya Apolinario, assistant manager of the NFA office in Binalonan town, said the ample stock is due to the good harvest last year as no major calamity hit the province.
Ordinary NFA rice is sold at P1,250 per bag and P25 a kilo while the well-milled NFA rice costs P1,300 per bag and P26 a kilo.
“She also announced that the eastern branch has zero inventory on imported rice.
Meanwhile, the buying price of palay at NFA warehouses is P17.70 with the 70 centavos as incentive to farmers, she said.
“Even with 10 centavos lesser buying price against the P17.80 buying price of commercial traders, we encourage farmers to sell their palay to NFA because we offer incentives,” she said.
These incentives include reimbursing the farmers’ fare and the opportunity to buy 25 percent of the rice equivalent of rice sold to NFA during lean months.
IRON RICE
Apolinario also urged Pangasinenses to eat iron-fortified rice, marketed as i-rice, developed by NFA to combat malnutrition and anemia.
Rice fortification is the mixing of white milled rice with iron rice premix at a ratio of 1:100.
She lamented that i-rice remains at a low acceptance level among consumers.
Among NFA’s incentives to farmers cooperatives and rice traders is giving two bags of iron fortified rice for every 20 bags of NFA rice. (PIA-Pangasinan/VHS)
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