THE National Food Authority (NFA) 7 assured the public there is sufficient rice stock for the region and that they have not gotten complaints about their rice having “bukbok” or weevils.
According NFA 7 public information officer Olma Marie Bayno, total rice inventory for the region stood at 450,000 sacks, which is good for 13 days, excluding the rice stock supplied by commercial players.
“We have enough rice supply,” said Bayno. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
Pest
In a statement, NFA assured the public that it follows international standards in good warehouse-keeping.
The agency certifies that only good quality stocks fit for human consumption will come out of its warehouses for sale in the markets to final consumers.
“Bukbok is a naturally-occurring pest in rice, corn and palay stocks. It is considered a “cosmopolitan” pest (present worldwide) and is transported across countries via trade. It is different from “quarantine” pests, which are dangerous to human health and blocked by countries across the globe,” the NFA said.
It added that bukbok can be washed away and separated from the grains before cooking. It can also be arrested through fumigation.
Markets
NFA rice retailers from the major markets in Cebu City echoed the NFA 7’s assurance.
Ed Ramos, NFA rice retailer at Carbon Public Market, said that it is easy for them to get supply from NFA since they have been an accredited retailer for a long time.
Ramos, however, said that early this year, there was a shortage of NFA supply, which also affected them. Now that the rice supply is back, major markets including Carbon, Tabo-an and T. Padilla are prioritized by NFA.
Ramos said many buy NFA rice because it is more affordable compared to the commercial varieties. The sales are also high, so they are not worried.
“Ang advantage, makaserbisyo ka sa mga tawo sa barato nga bugas (The advantage is we can serve the people with cheaper rice),” said Ramos.
Reah Blanquero, NFA rice retailer at the T. Padilla Public Market, said NFA rice is in demand since it is sold for only P32 per kilo, which is mandated by the NFA main office.
Blanquero said that just like Ramos, they do not have problems when it comes to the NFA rice supply because once their stock gets consumed, they can easily purchase from the NFA warehouse in Banilad.
“Kung naay supply ang NFA, naa sad supply ang retailer (As long as the NFA has supply, the retailer has a supply),” said Blanquero.
Services
Meanwhile, the NFA also fields trucks to different barangays every day in Cebu to sell NFA rice.
Jenson Aribado, NFA Banilad truck boy, said that they depend on the request of the barangay captain. Once they receive a call from the barangay captain or barangay personnel, they go to the place and sell NFA rice.
Barangay Tejero is among the barangays in Cebu that avails of this service.
Ma. Teresa Fabor, a resident of Barangay Tejero, said that she never encountered a problem in buying NFA rice since it is always available. The NFA Banilad truck boys would go to their barangay hall, so that is where NFA buyers go directly.
Production side
In a separate interview, Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 Director Salvador Diputado also assured the public of stable palay production amid reports that some farmlands in Bohol had dried up due to lack of water.
Diputado said unlike Luzon where there is heavy rain and flooding, Visayas’ weather is mostly sunny, with only occasional rains.
He said that even with the absence of the El Niño phenomenon, rice fields in Bohol are cracking due to the continued dry spell.
Intervention
According to Diputado, Bohol has already requested for cloud-seeding operations to save the rice fields. About 24,000 hectares of rice fields in Bohol need water badly.
Bohol is Central Visayas’ largest palay producer.
Cloud seeding is a method by which rain is induced using chemicals on clouds over areas needing water such as rice fields and dams.
According to the partial estimates of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) from January to June this year, the region’s palay production stood at 157,450 metric tons (MT) equivalent to 84, 952.15 MT of rice.
Cebu’s palay production stood at 6,984 MT, equivalent to 3,768.22 MT of rice.
Rice consumption in the region was at 647,793.89 MT. Cebu’s consumption stood at 376,142.51 MT. (Mary Ruth R. Malinao, USJ-R Intern)