WITH Negrenses' average daily consumption of 20,600 bags, the current rice supply in the province will last for 30 days only.
The National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental, however, said the existing volume of commercial and government rice is still "enough" just until the harvest peaks and import allocation arrives.
Frisco Canoy, provincial manager of NFA-Negros Occidental, told SunStar Bacolod that the total rice inventory in the province is pegged at 618,000 bags.
Of the figure, only about 16,000 bags are government rice stored at NFA warehouses.
The bigger the volume, at least 600,000 bags, accounts for commercial rice stocked by millers, wholesalers, retailers, and households.
Canoy, though, pointed out that current NFA rice participation in the province's overall consumption is only up to 10 percent. Commercial rice has 90 percent consumption share.
"If we are going to distribute all our stocks, it will take us only two weeks to do so," he said, adding that "we will going to stretch our remaining 16,000 bags until our importation arrives."
After about two months of zero buffer level starting last May, the first import allocation for Negros Occidental this year arrived in July.
The 80,000 bags of rice from Thailand were shipped via M/V Unison.
The province is expected to get an additional importation of 6.5 metric tons, or 130,000 bags. However, there is no schedule for the arrival of the vessel yet.
Despite the current limited volume of stocks of the government's P27 per kilogram rice, the agency is ensuring that its warehouses will not be empty until there is a new buffer.
Canoy pointed out NFA has food safety requirement thus, their stocks should not be totally sold.
In times of disasters and calamities like typhoons, NFA has to provide the needed rice supply, Canoy said.
"No matter how small the buffer is, there has to be available stocks," he said, stressing that in terms of distribution "outlets which also sell commercial rice are our last priority."
Aside from "stretching" the existing volume of NFA rice through calibrating the allocation among accredited retailers, it is looking at getting an augmentation from Iloilo.
Canoy said an import allocation of 170,000 bags of rice from Thailand is scheduled to arrive in the nearby province this week.
Though the additional import allocation is intended mainly for five provinces in Panay Island, Canoy said Iloilo can provide augmentation to Negros Occidental for the meantime pending the latter's importation.
"Buffer stocks can move within the region," he said, adding that "we hope to get a notice this week that there is already an assigned vessel and schedule of arrival."
Moreover, NFA-Negros Occidental is optimistic that the total rice inventory is also "safe and very sufficient" as harvest season starts resulting in additional supply in the province.
Canoy said it will just be in time when harvest peaks next month. With the impending production, the total inventory will for sure increase.
"Within 30 days, we expect to have our import allocation," he said, adding that "our traders may also have incoming stocks as they start buying from other provinces."