Nancy Binay urges Palace to help end NFA-NFA Council ‘stand-off’

Senator Nancy Binay urged Malacañang on Thursday to “step in” and help end the apparent stand-off between the National Food Authority (NFA) and the NFA Council.

The senator lamented that the seeming “misunderstandings and disagreements” between the two agencies have affected the supply of NFA rice for more than a year now.

“I hope the Palace can do something about the fit of misunderstandings between the Council and NFA,” Binay said in a statement.

“Mahigit isang taon na pong nagtuturuan, nagsisisihan at nagbabangayan ang NFA at NFA Council, at ang nakalulungkot, the row between the two offices has already reached a deadlock placing the entire country in an episodic and often cyclical food insecurity status,” she said.

The senator explained that the NFA has a mandate to maintain a rice buffer stock good for 15 days at any given time and good 30 days during lean months, based on the country’s average daily rice consumption of 32,150 metric tons.

Binay lamented, however, that for a year now, the NFA failed to meet the needed rice supply and buffer stock requirement.

“”Anyare? Di na tayo natuto at balik na naman po tayo sa depleted buffer stocks,” Binay said.

“Kung may policy differences man, let Malacanang act on these kasi ang pinaka-affected at nagsa-sufffer dito sa stand-off ng NFA at ng Council ay ang mahihirap na consumer,” Binay added.   /vvp