Gov’t to release NFA rice in targeted areas

The National Food Authority (NFA) is set to release subsidized rice to targeted areas across the country, once supplies will have to be disbursed to the public.

According to National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla, the government is now looking at releasing buffer stocks to the public in select areas.

"We will try to select areas where it is really most beneficial to give the NFA rice at a relatively low price," she told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference in Manila City.

Under the Rice Liberalization Act, the NFA mandate was reduced solely to ensure that the Philippines has a sufficient supply of buffer stocks of rice.

Starting March 5, the NFA was only mandated to ensure that the Philippines has enough buffer stocks—30 days' worth of the country's total consumption during the lean season, and 15 days otherwise.

Under the new law, the buffer stocks will be released in areas which would be affected by disasters and calamities.

However, the commodity can only be stored by the NFA for certain periods of time until such time that they will need to be replenished.

Sombilla said that with this, the supplies will then be released to the market as commercial rice, which will most likely be priced at P27 per kilogram.

"It's going to be targeted, and that is one of the things or strategies that's going to be developed by NFA dito sa incoming reorganization nila," she said.

"Different factors 'yan—calamity, vulnerability sa calamity; deficiency ng rice; population proportion of poor households in that area. It's going to be several factors that we have to study to determine the target areas," explained Sombilla. — BM, GMA News