AS THE law liberalizing the local rice industry took effect Tuesday, March 5, the National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental will continue implementing its remaining mandates, its top official said.
Frisco Canoy, provincial manager of NFA-Negros Occidental, said the recently signed Rice Import and Export Libelization Law has removed the regulatory functions of the agency over international and domestic trading of rice.
Canoy said NFA-Negros Occidental, like other provincial offices, can no longer act on licensing and registration of persons and entities engaged in the grains business, and collection of regulatory fees.
Other functions stripped from the agency included issuance of negotiable warehouse receipts, warehouse inspection, authority to seize hoarded stocks, and enforce rules and regulations in the grains business.
"There have been several protests and other opposition moves but the bill was still signed into law thus, we have to follow it," he said, adding that pending the issuance of other provisions "we have to continue implementing the functions that are still within our mandate."
On February 14, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11203 which lifted import restrictions on rice to make the price of the staple commodity affordable for all.
As "initial" implementation of the law started, NFA-Negros Occidental will now concentrate on its buffer stocking for calamities and emergencies role.
This would still form part of ensuring food security mandate of the NFA, Canoy said, adding that the same guidelines on procurement will be implemented.
Under the existing procurement scheme, the agency buys palay at the current support price of P17 per kilogram plus additional incentives of P3 per kilogram and P0.70 per kilogram for delivery, drying and cooperative development.
This means that individual farmer can get a maximum of P20.40 per kilogram while members of farmer cooperatives are getting maximum of P20.70 per kilogram of palay being sold to the NFA.
As to the amount and volume of procurement, NFA-Negros Occidental also has yet to wait for the final implementing rules and regulations (IRR) along with additional provisions on restructuring of the agency, Canoy said.
"There's a possibility that some of our employees will lose their jobs," he added.
With the rice tariffication, the NFA can no longer import rice for distribution among local traders and retailers.
As of March 5 inventory of NFA-Negros Occidental, the province still has buffer stocks of 195,000 bags.
The remaining stocks form part of the province's import allocation from Myanmar and Vietnam.
Canoy said unless there's a new instruction from the Central Office, they will continue to distribute the remaining stocks to the market.
The government rice with a buying price of P25 per kilogram at the NFA is being sold by accredited retailers at P27 per kilogram.
"We have programed the distribution until August this year," he said, adding that they are also on "wait and see" status in terms of distribution as the agency might order to stop it.
The provincial manager recalled that the initial IRR was already presented during the consultation with the Visayas stakeholders in Iloilo City on March 1.
The law is not yet fully implemented. There are still additional provisions, or maybe amendments, that will be included in the final version of the IRR, he added.