BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio-Benguet provincial office of the National Food authority (NFA) assured the public there will be sufficient government rice supply in the area as there are substantial stocks in the local warehouse aside from the standby supply in nearby San Fernando City, La Union and the allocation that will be provided from the incoming supply of imported rice.
NFA Baguio-Benguet provincial manager Cecilia A. Concubierta revealed there are 10,500 bags of government rice in the local warehouse apart from the 16,000 bags ready for transport to the city from the agency’s warehouse in nearby San Fernando City, La Union that makes the supply of rice in the area stable even up to next month.
“We assure our consumers we have sufficient stock of NFA rice in our local warehouse which will be complimented by the readily available supply in our warehouse in La Union and there is no need to press the alarm button regarding the stability of government rice supply in our areas of jurisdiction,” Concubierta stressed.
The NFA official admitted that currently, the agency is releasing to its accredited outlets and concerned government agencies and local governments undergoing relief operations a total of 2,500 bags daily compared to the 1,800 bags being regularly released during normal transaction days from Mondays to Fridays.
According to her, the local rice allocation for the Baguio-Benguet area will further be complimented by the upcoming allocation from the NFA central office to the provincial offices once the new supply of imported rice arrives in the country in due time considering that the agency’s available stocks will be until next month.
She added there are some 120 accredited NFA outlets in the Baguio-Benguet area that distribute rice supply to the hundreds of retailers in the different public and private markets.
Concubierta claimed NFA rice is sold to the public at cheap price aside from being used in the on-going relief operations being undertaken by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and concerned local governments for the victims of the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong in different parts of the region.
She underscored there is no actual shortage of NFA rice in the market because the government remedied the situation brought about by the delayed arrival of imported rice.
Concubierta urged consumers not to be alarmed over reports of alleged shortage of NFA rice supply because the NFA is in control of the situation by making sure that the government rice supply will be distributed in most parts of the country, especially in the calamity-stricken areas of the country where thousands of people are in need of assistance to be able to sustain their daily food requirements among other basic needs for survival.
By Dexter A. See
