Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Rice imports arrive in city
THE National Food Authority (NFA) regional office in Cagayan de Oro City, being one of the transshipment points in Mindanao area, has unloaded a total of 896,000 bags or 44,800 metric tons of imported rice from Vietnam.
Another 72,000 bags were expected to be unloaded during the last week of June 2005.
The imported rice stocks are strategically distributed among the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.
NFA 10 Regional Director Miguel C. Wycoco said the importation of rice is being done to cover the shortfall on palay production due to damage from storms that the country experienced in the fourth quarter of 2004 and the dry weather during the first quarter in 2005.
Importation is also necessarily done to effectively carry out the mandate of the agency, which is stabilization of prices and maintenance of buffer stocks for food security, he said.
Wycoco further explained the volume of rice being imported is recommended by an Interagency Committee on Rice and Cereals (ICRC) after a thorough assessment of the country's production and corresponding supply requirements.
The ICRC is composed of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, Department of Trade and Industry, National Economic Development Authority, National Farmers Action Council, Pag-asa, NFA and the Department of Agriculture as committee chair.
Wycoco said with the onset of the lean months (July to September), he has directed all his provincial managers to prioritize the distribution of NFA rice to Bigasan ni Gloria sa Palengke (BGP) outlets inside major markets at fixed selling prices of P16/kg for regular-milled rice and P18/kg for well-milled rice, including accredited outlets outside the markets.
Palengke Watch Teams have also been activated to conduct close monitoring to ensure visibility and availability of NFA rice in the market/outlets, Wycoco said. (Trends)
(July 5, 2005 issue)
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