By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—A once empty
warehouse of the National Food Authority here now brims with sacks of rice
imported from Thailand.
NFA provincial manager
Eleanor Andres said they unloaded an initial 250 bags of rice on July 1, 2018
at the Laoag warehouse.
From the Poro Point in San
Fernando, La Union, the NFA official expects a total of 280,000 bags for Region
1.
Ms. Andres said at least
32,000 bags has been slated for Ilocos Norte, which she expects to arrive in
the province until December this year.
“We hope to complete the
delivery before a calamity strikes. By then, we will be ready for relief
operations, which [we will prioritize] in the NFA rice distribution,” said
Andres.
Upon arrival of the first
shipment in Laoag, the NFA Laoag manager said the Bureau of Jail Management and
Penology (BJMP) in the cities of Batac and Laoag were the first to withdraw a
part of the newly arrived NFA rice.
Though there is no rice
shortage in the province, Ms. Andres explained that the low supply nationwide
affected rice prices in Ilocos region.
This prompted the national
government to import rice to replenish NFA’s rice buffer stocks.
On July 12, 2018, the NFA met
with accredited rice retailers in the province to discuss the rules and
regulations pertaining to the selling of NFA rice.
“We hope to maintain the
current price of rice which ranges from PHP27 to PHP32 per kilogram,” she
ended.
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