Region 1 to receive 35,000 MT of imported rice
THE National Food Authority in Region I is set to receive around 35,000 metric tons of imported rice from Vietnam as part of the 500,000 metric tons additional imported rice sought by the agency through the government-to-government import scheme.
Director Carlito G. Co said the imported rice is meant as “precautionary stocks” of the government until it starts procuring palay anew from the farmers during the summer cropping season next year.
Co said the rice import will help shore up the existing inventory in the region even as it continues to buy palay from the farmers and ease up the farm gate price, which he said is still very high.
“The infusion of the imported rice will hopefully cushion the buying price of palay by traders which is still way too high compared to the government price of P17.00 per kilogram,” he said.
He added that the first batch of the imported rice is expected to arrive at the Port of San Fernando middle of December and the remaining volume to be delivered to the region until March 2014.
Vietnam has won the contract to supply rice to the Philippines with a tender of $462.25 per metric ton, beating Thailand’s offer of $475.00.
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