‘There’s enough rice for C. Visayas’

The National Food Authority (NFA-7) assured that they have adequate rice supply for Central Visayas to prepare for the coming rainy season.

NFA-7 information officer Lucy Rosales said that Central Visayas requires 36,000 rice bags for their daily consumption.

Rosales said the number was based on their NFA inventory done annually which becomes the basis for their required annual food security stock.

The NFA rice which is sold for P27 per kilo is the government response in alleviating hunger and at the same time providing nutrition through the iron fortifid rice.

Rosales said that they currently have 1.4 million rice bags in storage for Central Visayas, with the required food security stock of 775,000 rice bags including the 570,000 rice bags for Cebu.

The NFA in Central Visayas is set to receive 360,000 rice nags from Vietnam as part of their 2011 rice importation.

Rosales said that some 200,000 bags are scheduled to be delivered in Central Visayas next month.

She admitted that the Central Visayas is a deficit area in terms of rice production and has to import stocks from other neighboring regions.

George Pacalba, supervising agriculturist for the Department of Agriculture (DA-7) said that Central Visayas has 52,000 hectare area for rice fields, however, only 400 hectares of land area are cultivated in Cebu while the rest are divided by other provinces like Bohol, Siqiujor and Negros.

Meanwhile, Fabio Enrionez, Regional Rice Program coordinator, said that they are also strengthening their farming program to prepare for the coming rainy seasons.

According to him, they had installed irrigation and canal systems in the rice fields to avoid damage of rice produce.

He said that they are also partnering with local government units through in facilitating in various farmer’s program like the distribution of free seedlings for rice and providing trainings and seminars on farming.

Some farmers are also not able to follow the regular schedule o harvest and planting due to the unpredictable weather conditions.

“ In reality, global warming is threatening our food security,” Rosales of the NFA added. /Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya