NFA assures ample rice supply
The National Food Authority (NFA) assured consumers today of ample supply of rice until the end of the year, debunking earlier reports on possible shortage of the staple food item due to the extended dry spell and floods experienced in rice-producing provinces around the country.
In a press briefing in Malacañang this afternoon, NFA Director Rex Espoperez said the NFA has the required 15 metric tons buffer stock of NFA rice in its warehouses and that it is expecting another 260,000 metric tons of imported rice to arrive this month.
"We assure you that we do not have shortage of rice, especially because we have enough inventories in our (NFA) warehouses," Espoperez said.
He said the NFA, together with the Department of Agriculture, has carried out measures to further boost the country's production of rice and to prevent unscrupulous individuals from unduly jacking up prices of rice.
"Right now, the Department of Agriculture is giving assistance for the production of flood-and-drought-resistant rice seedlings," Espoperez said.
The implementation of the "One NFA watcher per market" program, Espoperez said, would prevent hoarders and speculators from unreasonably hiking rice prices.
He added that the NFA watcher or monitor would immediately report to the NFA head office any discrepancy in rice prices in markets around the country for immediate action.
(OPS)