EL NIÑO DISPATCH
NFA rice distribution stabilizes rice price
National Food Authority administrator Jessup P. Navarro said the NFA's rice distribution in the first quarter helps keep the price of rice stable.
Navarro said the NFA's rice distribution gave consumers ready access to the staple and this dispel the apprehension of a rice price spiral as the El Nino's affect the country's palay production.
For the first quarter this year, the NFA has distributed a total of 8.9 million bags of rice equivalent to 76 percent of the 11 million bags target for the period.
Rice sales in January reached 3.1 million bags, 3 million bags in February and 2.4 million bags in March. Presently, NFA’s daily rice sales averages 162,900 bags.
For the firs quarter, retail price of regular milled rice (RMR) increased only by P.43 per kg from P30.83 on the fourth week of January to P31.26 per kg for the fourth week of March,. The increase in the retail price of well-milled rice (WMR) is even much lower at P.29 per kg during this period at P34.58 per kg at the end of March as against P34.28 per kg in January.
Meanwhile, NFA rice is being sold at the price of P25 for the 25 percent brokens and P30 and P35 per kg for the 15 percent and 5 percent brokens respectively.
In line with the poverty alleviation program of the government, however, families in the National Capital Region that were issued with Family Access Card by the Department of Social Welfare and Development can still buy the highly subsidized P18.25 per kg at the TN and Bigasan sa Parokya outlets. In the provinces, NFA rice at this price is being sold to consumers included in the Rice Allocation Ledger at the TN outlets.
Navarro credited the proactive importation done in December for substantially increasing the agency's rice inventory and giving it the capability to stabilize the price of rice in the market. NFA's rice inventory, now placed at 1.3 MMT equivalent to 49 percent of the total 2.7 MMT national inventory.
The NFA imported 2.2 million metric tons (MMT) of rice for this year.
Navarro also informed the NFA has already allowed rice retailers to withdraw their rice allocation intended from Maundy Thursday until Easter Sunday. However, he asked the field officials to designate skeletal work force for these days in anticipation of any emergency rice withdrawals.
The NFA distributes rice through its 24,524existing active market outlets that include 13,247 Tindahan Natin outlets, Institutionalized Bigasan sa Palengke numbering 4,061, some 3,345 Bigasan sa Barangay rice outlets operated respectively by the local government units and legislators, and 1,548 Tindahan sa Parokya operated by religious organizations and community based groups, 467 Barangay Bagsakan as well as accredited and licensed inside and outside market retailers.
The public is also being advised to monitor the presence of NFA rice in the market.
The public may send their inquiries, complaints or suggestions via Text NFA through mobile number 0917-6210927.
