MANILA, Philippines?The National Food Authority said the Department of Social Welfare and Development should extend the selling of state-subsidized rice in retail and public markets up to Sept. 30.

The extension would benefit families that had not yet received their family access cards (FACs), said Rex Estoperez, NFA director for public affairs.

The DSWD began distributing this year family access cards to Metro Manila families identified as the ?poorest of the poor.?

The FACs would allow the families to avail of rice sold at the state-subsidized price of P18.25 a kilo, now being sold exclusively in Tindahan Natin Outlets to identified FAC beneficiaries.

Restricting the sale of government rice to FAC holders began on Sept. 1.

Maximum benefit

Extending the sale period to the end of September would assure low income groups and the underprivileged of maximum benefits from the government?s rice subsidy and other hunger-mitigating programs, the NFA said.

This would also enable the NFA to focus distribution efforts of affordable rice to families which really need assistance from the government.

As many as 356,600 families, or about 2.14 million individuals, are expected to benefit from the program that restricts the sale of government rice to the needy.

Estoperez said, however, that of the current 150,000 ?poorest of the poor? families identified by government, only a fraction, or around 13,000 families, have been given the access cards.

List of beneficiaries

?In certain parts of Quezon City, Caloocan and Manila, for example, some families have not been given these family access cards yet,? he said.

He said the extension will give local government units and the DSWD time to iron out the final list of beneficiaries and hand out the cards to families.

In the provinces, the sale of NFA rice in Tindahan Natin outlets will continue using the DSWD?s rice allocation ledger with beneficiaries of at least 250 families.

Tindahan Natin operators will be required to produce a rice allocation ledger before being given their weekly rice allocation.

The NFA said it will strictly pursue the policy of ?no rice allocation ledger, no rice allocation? to the Tindahan Natin outlets.

The NFA will continue selling well-milled rice stocks to middle-income consumers at P25 and P35 a kilo, to bring down the cost of commercial rice.

From July until the end of the year, the NFA will flood the market with at least 28 million 50-kg bags, equivalent to 1.4 million metric tons of rice.

With the NFA?s ?selective bombardment? strategy, the country has seen a drop in prices of the main staple, particularly during the traditional lean months of July to September when retail prices are supposed to rise.