By Erwin Nicavera/PNA
BACOLOD CITY — Grains traders and rice retailers in Negros Occidental were urged to renew their license and accreditation with the National Food Authority (NFA) to avoid penalties.
Frisco Canoy, NFA-Negros Occidental manager, said Friday the renewal of license and accreditation is an annual activity of the agency.
“Grains businessmen cannot operate without the license while retailers cannot receive rice allocations without the accreditation,” he added.
Canoy said the NFA has set the renewal period from January to June this year.
Traders and retailers from each city and municipality have been assigned a particular month to renew their license and accreditation.
This January, all grains businessmen and retailers from cities of Bacolod to Victorias are scheduled for renewal.
Those from Bago City to Hinigaran are slated for February; Sagay City to San Carlos City — March; Isabela, La Carlota City, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Murcia and Salvador Benedicto — April; Binalbagan to Ilog — May; and Cauayan to Hinoba-an — June.
New applications, meanwhile, may be processed anytime from January to June.
Grains businessmen are those engaged in grains trading. The license issued by the NFA also covers the selling of corn grains, and feeds from rice or corn products.
Records of NFA-Negros Occidental showed that for January, 420 renewal applications are expected.
As of January 21, a total of 165 grains businessmen and retailers have already processed their renewals while 16 have filed for new applications.
A total of 1,200 applications for renewal are expected to be filed during the first half of the year.
Failure to renew after a month is equivalent to a surcharge of 25 percent of the capitalization.
After two months, it will double to 50 percent, then 75 percent in three months.
The penalty will further increase to 100 percent, if a trader and retailer fails to renew the license and accreditation after four months and above.
