LEGAZPI CITY — The National Food Authority (NFA) in Bicol gave an assurance there was enough supply of rice to last the enhanced community quarantine being enforced in the region to stop coronavirus transmission.
Henry Tristeza, director of NFA in Bicol, said the agency still has 516,000 bags of palay, or unhusked rice, in warehouses. These, if milled, are equivalent to 325,000 bags of rice, Tristeza said.
The NFA stock would add to the 8,055 bags of rice currently in NFA warehouses for distribution.
Tristeza said 333,000 bags of rice would serve as additional buffer stock to maintain the 15-day supply required of the agency.
According to Tristeza, the rice supply would address the requirement of local government units and government agencies involved in the fight against COVID-19.