ILOILO CITY — Some 1,500 bags of surplus rice of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Capiz will augment the supply in Iloilo as its buffer stock is “very, very negligible”.
“It could not make a dent in terms of buffer stocking,” said NFA Assistant Regional Director for Western Visayas Ruben Manatad on Friday, as he cited that they no longer have supplies for the market, which was why they are seeking assistance from other provinces.
Antique has 500 remaining bags but the province decided to hold on to their stocks.
He said that their available stocks in Iloilo are intended for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). The stocks are already paid.
However, amid the unavailability of NFA rice in the market, he assured that the price of rice in Western Visayas is “stable” because the region, except Negros Occidental is a surplus area.
“No problem, no reason to alarm consumers,” he said, adding that there are a lot of rice stocks on display in the market, except for the NFA subsidized rice. Some have prices as low as PHP33 to PHP34 a kilogram.
He also said that 100,000 metric tons of the approved 250,000 metric tons rice importation are intended for Western Visayas.
The importation is expected to arrive in June. (PNA)
