MANILA — The National Food Authority (NFA) has ensured sufficient rice stocks in the regions affected by Typhoon Ompong for both regular consumption and relief operations.
This was in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive, during his visit to the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions, after “Ompong” severely damaged the upland regions over the weekend.
During the briefings in Tuguegarao City and Laoag City, the President instructed Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to ensure that there is sufficient NFA rice supply in the regions affected by “Ompong.”
The President also directed the NFA to speed up the arrival of the remaining stocks to be sent to the typhoon-affected regions.
Even before “Ompong” entered the country, the NFA had already pre-positioned stocks in the areas forecast to be hit along the typhoon’s track.
Deliveries of additional stocks to augment low inventories in some provinces affected by the typhoon continued during and after it exited Philippine territory.
“The NFA has sufficient stocks over-all in Luzon, with at least 840,000 bags in its warehouses. The lower inventories in Regions 2 (Cagayan Valley) and 3 (Central Luzon) were augmented by transferring additional 12,000 bags additional rice stocks to Region 2,” NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez said in a news release issued Thursday.
To stabilize rice prices, NFA-Cagayan Valley Director Rocky Valdez said priority is given to relief agencies, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development and concerned local government units, as well as to NFA-accredited retailers in areas affected by the typhoon, island municipalities, and far-flung areas.
“The region has sufficient rice stocks and we are still awaiting our additional rice allocation of 155,000 bags from Subic. Unloading in Subic is obviously slowed down by inclement weather. That is why we asked NFA-NCR (National Capital Region) to transfer an additional 50,000 bags to Region 2 while our rice allocation from Subic is not yet delivered,” Valdez said.
Meanwhile, Estoperez said NFA will ask the approval of the NFA Council to allow the early importation of additional NFA rice.
“Because of the typhoons, we will propose to the NFA Council if they can allow us to import in advance. Many of our crops are damaged, so we have to import earlier,” he said. (NFA PR/PNA)
