There are no smuggled bags of rice in Negros Oriental, National Food Authority provincial manager Carlos Cortes said yesterday.

He said a daily monitoring is conducted to determine the presence of smuggled rice in the markets, except for those imported from Vietnam.

The NFA warehouses in Guihulngan and Dumaguete cities have sufficient stocks of rice at 28,000 bags, that can last for three months, while waiting for the arrival of the next shipment from Cebu, that is around 22,000 bags, Cortes said.

He added that disposition of NFA rice is limited to 10,000 bags a month in 62 Bigasan ng Bayan outlets and 234 accredited retailers all over the province so as not to prejudice the monthly allotment, with exception during unforeseen events such as natural calamities.

He denied speculations of hoarding due to reports that the better quality NFA rice, priced at P32 per kilo, could no longer be bought in the markets.

Cortes said the real reason is that the agency ran out of stocks for the P32 per kilo Vietnam rice, the quality of which can compete with commercial milled rice, that even the rich are buying it.

Meanwhile, he said the government cannot match the prices offered by traders in its corn and palay procurement program.

The government support price is P12.30 per kilo for yellow corn, P13 per kilo for white corn, and P17/kilo for palay. Negros traders are offering farmers of up to P22 per kilo of palay, Cortes said.

He said the NFA had purchased 233 bags of palay last year.*JG

back to top