NFA: Rice stocks sufficient for needs of NCR

MANILA, Philippines — The National Food Authority (NFA) said on Saturday that it already completed the prepositioning of rice stocks in the country amid the enhanced community quarantine imposed in the entire Luzon.

This is to provide enough buffer in strategic areas especially in Metro Manila, where there is almost no agricultural production. Stocks are ready for delivery and disbursement as needed.

In a report to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, NFA administrator Judy Carol Dansal assured that the state-run grains agency has enough rice at hand to meet the requirements of the National Capital Region (NCR) for the next two weeks—with additional supply readily available depending on demand.

LGUs to get priority

The NFA currently has 20,000 metric tons of rice in its warehouses around Metro Manila. Based on NFA data, residents in the metropolis consume an average of 50 kilograms of rice daily—with NFA’s market participation pegged at 7 percent.

The private sector and household inventories’ market participation were set at 93 percent.

Dansal said they expected the NFA’s participation to increase by 20 percent once local government units (LGUs) begin to buy their rice needs from government-owned warehouses amid the monthlong lockdown, adding that they would prioritize LGUs when selling subsidized rice.

NFA has also prepositioned 15,000 bags of rice to augment the rice requirement of Cavite province.