Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Agency names priority villages for NFA rice By Rimaliza Opiña
FIFTEEN of the 129 barangays in Baguio were identified as priority site for the distribution of the NFA (National Food Authority) rice.
Families from these barangays will be given access cards to ensure only those who cannot afford commercial rice will be given priority in the distribution of government subsidized NFA rice.
Based on the poverty mapping done by the City Social Welfare Office, barangays identified as priority are Sto. Tomas Proper, Dominican-Mirador, Loakan, AZCKO, Padre Zamora, Irisan, Bakakeng Central, Sto. Rosario Valley, Outlook Drive, Upper Quezon Hill, Atok Trail, Upper Dagsian, Victoria Village, Santo Antonio Village and Ambiong.
NFA provincial manager Rolando Rufo said this had to be done to scrimp on the limited supply.
Although claiming there is no rice shortage, Rufo said he expects the queues for three kilos of the staple will be common sights in the city until September. From that month until the end of the year is the traditional harvest season of rice in Luzon.
He reiterated before members of the City Council that there is no shortage in rice supply and inspections done by the NFA reveal an abundant supply of commercial rice in the market.
He said the "shortage" in the supply of NFA rice was the result of sudden shift of consumer's consumption of the more expensive commercial rice to the cheaper government rice. He said because of the increase in the prices of other goods and fuel, consumers prefer cheaper products, including rice, the country's staple food.
Stored at the NFA's warehouses are 85,000 bags of rice, expected to feed residents of Baguio and Benguet for the next 15 days. In addition, 10,000 bags have been previously unloaded from a ship at Poro Point in La Union for storage at the NFA warehouse here.
On April 12, 45,000 bags of rice were again unloaded at Poro Point, bringing the total number of supply here at 130,000 bags.
Industry stocks or the commercial rice variety, meanwhile, was pegged at 33,000 bags as of the NFA's April 1 survey and 124,000 bags of household stock.
"We have enough supply," Rufo stressed, even as he supported plans of government to limit subsidy on NFA rice because the agency continues to incur losses. NFA rice is sold at P18 per kilo, while commercial rice is sold at an average of P33.00 per kilo.
The NFAs net loss for 2006 was pegged at P127 million, P164 million for 2007 and losses might triple for this year, Rufo stressed because even barangays which are not included in the 15 most depressed barangays have been requesting them for NFA rice.
NFA rice is distributed via Tindahan Natin outlets, special projects like school feeding programs, Bigasan sa Parokya outlets, rolling stores and Bigasan ni Gloria sa Palengke.
