NFA foresees and to rice queues soon

DESPITE LEAN MONTHS AHEAD

Price of commercial rice down

LINGAYEN–The National Food Authority (NFA) branch in western Pangasinan has fielded more rolling stores in a bid to address the long queues at NFA outlets located in public markets.

Marissa Jacinto, NFA branch information officer, said the rolling stores were sought by local officials to help their constituents, especially marginal families, get access to NFA’S cheaper rice.

The rolling stores are now selling NFA rice in barangay Bolo and St. Isidore Parish in Labrador, Burgos, Bantayan and Pangapisan Norte in Lingayen, and other towns at a maximum of two to three kilos per family.

Earlier, rice queues were seen in Dagupan, Alaminos and San Carlos cities, Calasiao and Mangaldan, among other towns.

But the queues, Jacinto clarified, were not indications of a rice shortage.

NFA Branch Manager Edilberto Libatique earlier said the higher price of commercial rice ranging from P32 to P35 per kilo the past weeks drove people to buy rice from NFA outlets.

Being sold by NFA rolling stores and outlets are white, well-milled rice that were imported from Vietnam.

“There is no rice crisis, only price crisis,” Libatique said, adding that in price crisis, people have no other recourse but to go to the NFA.

Jacinto, however, foresees the easing up of the rice situation as the price of commercial rice had been down by P2 since this week.

NFA’s latest monitor show the lowest price of commercial rice is now P30 per kilo, from P32 per kilo the past week.

“This is a sign that eventually, the price of rice will go down for the benefit of the low-wage earners,” Jacinto added.

Jacinto hinted that the decrease in the price of commercial rice was due to the arrival of more rice stocks imported from Vietnam unloaded at the port of San Fernando.

She also said supply has now been strengthened by farmers’ harvest from the third cropping season.—LM

RICE MILLERS CRY
FOUL OVER RAIDS

ROSALES–Please stop harassing us.

This was the plea of some 600 rice millers in the province who claim that the “raids” conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with the National Food Authority (NFA) in their warehouses in search of hoarded rice have upset their business.

Engr. Rosendo So, president of the Eastern Pangasinan Filipino- Chinese Chamber of Commerce and spokesman of the Rice Millers Association of Pangasinan, told The PUNCH that their buyers in Metro Manila have stopped buying from them following the negative publicity arising from the raids.

So said the millers, who met on Tuesday to discuss the problem, are now seeking help from Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, the senators, the six Pangasinan congressmen and Governor Amado Espino Jr.

On Wednesday, The PUNCH and other news organizations joined the NBI Dagupan team when it conducted an “inspection” in three warehouses in Tayug town.

Lawyer Dave Alunan, executive officer of NBI Dagupan, clarified that the operation was an “inspection”, not a raid, based on the visitorial rights of the NFA

Alunan pointed out that as a result of the inspection the inspected warehouses are under investigation along with the milling owners.

He noted that rice millers are now cooperating for the good of the public and are willing to sell their produce to the NFA.

“That is the positive result of what we are doing,” Alunan said.

On the other hand, So said the “raids” are scaring their buyers and the lack of purchasers has pushed the price of palay down to P16.20 from P19.00.

“There should be a definition of hoarding. If they don’t sell and merely stock, that’s hoarding,” he said, as he pointed out that that this is not what is being done by the millers.

“If these raids continue, the price of palay will likely drop to P12 per kilogram and this will be bad for the farmers,” he added.

So maintained there is no rice shortage but actually a surplus in the provinces and the government should buy locally- produced rice instead of importing.

Rice millers are offering to sell their produce to the NFA at P1,600 per bag against the P2,450 price of imported rice.

So said 339,000 metric tons of imported rice are expected to arrive in the country by May. #

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