100,000 bags of imported rice set to be distributed to Bicol stores

LEGAZPI CITY – Close to 100,000 bags of imported rice are available for distribution to various National Food Authority (NFA)-accredited rice outlets in Bicol, Nelsie Alcantara, NFA spokesperson, said on Thursday.

Alcantara said the rice inventory indicates that the NFA’s buffer stock of 95,588 rice could sustain the region’s rice consumption requirements for 10 days.

The buffer stock would be bolstered as soon as the 164,000 bags of rice from Thailand would be completely unloaded this Sunday, she said.

“The ongoing unloading should have been completed but was hampered due to bad weather during the past days,” Alcantara said.

Meanwhile, the Regional Task Force created to monitor the supply, accessibility, and prices of rice in the market reported that it had not encountered cases of rice hoarding, or price manipulations in rice trading outlets that went through inspection and inventory.

The task force is composed of representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Justice and the Philippine National Police.

At least 39 big rice trading outlets in Bicol were inspected and went through inventory, Alcantara said. No incidence of rice hoardings and rice stock diversion were found.

NFA is selling the imported rice at P32 per kilogram while the agency has allowed consumers to buy a maximum of 20 kilos a day from accredited NFA outlets. Commercial rice in Albay is being sold at P42 per kilo for regular milled rice and P43 to P45 per kilo for well-milled rice.

The agency has 2,210 accredited rice outlets in Bicol.