BACOLOD CITY — The National Food Authority (NFA) has a low supply of government rice in Negros Occidental, but this does not translate into shortage in stocks, provincial manager Marianito Bejemino has said.
As of Wednesday, buffer stocks of NFA rice in the province were estimated at 4,000 to 5,000 bags stored in three warehouses — those in Ilog town, San Carlos City, and the NFA compound in Bacolod City.
Based on the total inventory, however, there are about 1.3 million bags of rice in Negros Occidental as of last week, which can last for at least 63 days, or two months.
These include about 800,000 bags of commercial rice stored by millers, wholesalers, and retailers, as well as those stocked in households, farms, and NFA warehouses.
“The public still has nothing to worry about,” Bejemino said Wednesday, adding that these stocks are more than enough to supply the consumption requirement of Negrenses until rice imports arrive end of May.
He added that the current rice inventory does not even include supplies coming from other provinces and existing harvests.
Bejemino said that while the current inventory of NFA rice stocks in the province is low, it cannot be said that there is a deficit in the entire local rice supply.
He said NFA rice is different from commercial rice, thus, the status of government rice supply does not represent the entire rice situation in Negros Occidental.
At present, the NFA rice volume in the market is pegged at only 1 percent to 2 percent because majority of consumers still prefer to buy commercial rice.
However, because of the low supply of NFA rice, most of the retail outlets in the province have already run out of stocks.
Bejemino said the NFA in Negros Occidental is still studying whether to increase the volume of the PHP27 per kg. NFA rice in the market.
The remaining stocks are being allotted for possible calamities and emergencies, he added.
Since the government’s rice import is expected to arrive late May, the NFA rice in the province will be exhausted in at least a month, if they continue to distribute the remaining buffer stock to the market, Bejemino said. (PNA)
