NFA to buy 1.33 million metric tons of rice
Roxas City -- About 65,880 bags of rice import allocation have arrived in the province as part of the National Food Authority's (NFA) 1.33 million metric tons of imported rice target for this year.
"The stocks, which are strategically stored in NFA owned warehouses, boosted the province's rice inventory," said NFA Public Information Office Edna Artates in a news release published in the May 2007 issue of the agency's monthly newsletter, Ang Butil.
NFA Provincial Manager Sergio Balofiños assured the Capiceños of sufficient rice supply in the coming lean months, the news added.
The affordable government rice at P18 per kilogram is available at NFA accredited outlets such as Bigasang Bayan, Tindahan Natin, farmers cooperatives and other individual outlets provincewide.
An inspection and revalidation of all its accredited outlets is being conducted regularly by the NFA to make sure that only legitimate retailers sell NFA rice.
Also, market monitoring teams are regularly deployed to ensure that NFA rice is sold to consumers at government support price.
The pro-consumer measures are in line with government's assurance of a stable price of rice in the months ahead despite the drought now affecting palay-producing areas in Central Luzon.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap has warned unscrupulous grains traders that their licenses would be revoked by the NFA should they take advantage of the current situation to unduly jack up retail prices of the staple food .
(PIA/A.Lumaque)