LAOAG CITY—Responding to the Duterte administration’s directive to make cheap rice available to the marginalized sector, the National Food Authority (NFA) in Ilocos Norte is reaching out to the different towns of the province to sell rice at a low price.
Rice response delivery team of the NFA, in cooperation with grain retailers, on Thursday facilitated “Tagpuan Day” to provide quality and affordable rice to residents of Bangui and Dumalneg.
At the People’s Center in Poblacion of Bangui town and at the covered court in Dumalneg town, local residents lined up to buy rice from an NFA-accredited rolling store.
NFA-Ilocos Norte Provincial Manager Eleonor Andres said “imported rice is currently pegged at PHP27 per kilogram and it is made more accessible to consumers who live in far-flung areas.
On Wednesday, around 42 families, mostly recipients of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, were also able to buy cheap rice from an NFA-accredited rice retailer.
This was done in coordination with the local government unit of Burgos and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.
The NFA rolling stores shall be going around the province on scheduled dates to sell cheap rice to its intended beneficiaries.
NFA authorities said a maximum of five kilos or rice that is graded as 25 percent broken will be sold to each consumer at PHP27 per kilo.
Though rice farmers in Ilocos Norte are producing more than enough to feed its over 593,000 residents, some traders are taking the grains out of the province to supply other provinces and even Metro Manila.
As per latest price monitoring conducted, commercial rice ranges from PHP41.00 to PHP60.00/kg. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
