BACOLOD CITY — Still without a final schedule on the arrival of its imported rice stocks, the National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental again borrowed an additional 10,000 bags of rice from its counterpart in Iloilo.
Frisco Canoy, provincial manager of NFA-Negros Occidental, said they have yet to be informed when the province’s import allocation will arrive.
“The request for another 10,000 bags is intended for our target distribution during the remaining weeks of the month,” he said,
As of Monday, inventory showed NFA-Negros Occidental has only about 5,000 bags of PHP27 per kilogram government rice, which could last for about three days.
Of the initial 10,000 bags of rice borrowed by Negros Occidental from Iloilo earlier this month, 5,000 bags have already arrived last week. The remaining 5,000 bags are expected to arrive within the week.
Along with the additional augmentation, Negros Occidental would have borrowed a total of 20,000 bags from Iloilo.
Canoy said the province’s imported rice allocation might arrive in the first week of November along with the supply for General Santos and Davao.
Negros Occidental is expected to get 100,000 bags out of the 600,000 bags to be shipped from Thailand or Vietnam.
Last July NFA-Negros Occidental also borrowed 10,000 bags of rice from Iloilo while waiting for the arrival of its imported rice allocation.
Aside from the request for augmentation, Negros Occidental is also expected to get at least 10,000 bags for the supplemental feeding program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Canoy said they also requested for the supply shipment for delivery to various recipient-day care centers in the province. (Erwin Nicavera/PNA)
