NFA-Aklan assures enough rice supply on lean months

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

The National Food Authority (NFA)-Aklan assured rice retailers and consumers of enough supply for the lean months.

NFA-Aklan provincial manager Martina Lodero said the agency has stocked sufficient rice in time for the lean months this year.

“Ready ang NFA sa darating na lean months. Ang retailers aware na rin sila pag dumating ang lean months, nagiging active na rin sila at nadadagdagan ang kanilang allocation,” she said. 

NFA buys palay from local farmers to guarantee the stability of farm-gate prices. Currently, clean and dry palay sold by farmers directly to NFA is priced at P17.40/kilo which includes the delivery and dying incentive fees of P0.40 per kilogram.

An additional P0.30 per kilogram is provided by NFA for unmilled rice sold by farmer cooperatives/associations and organizations under the Cooperative Development Incentive Fund. 

On lean months, commercial prices for well-milled rice and regular milled rice are expected to go up.

Lodero said commercial rice retailers sell well-milled rice at P39/kilo while regular milled rice is prevailing at P35/kilo. 

NFA rice is presently sold by accredited retailers in Aklan at P27 per kilo for regular milled rice (25 percent broken) while for well-milled rice (15 percent) sells at P32 per kilo.

Lodero said the agency also assured the public that it will not increase the price of NFA rice especially during the lean months. 

“Pag lean months, nagdadagdag ang NFA ng volume ng bigas to make sure na steady ang supply ng mga retailers at ang consuming public ay may option to buy ng mura at affordable na bigas, na kung titingnan mo ang quality ay maganda pa sa mga commercial rice,” she said in a Bombo Radyo Kalibo report. 

ONE-STRIKE POLICY

NFA is also implementing the ‘one-strike policy’ for accredited retailers found violating the regulations of the agency.

“We are reminding the retailers of the one-strike policy imposed by NFA for violations such as diversion of subsidized rice and price manipulation,” Lodero stressed. 

NFA retailers will face investigation for selling NFA supplied-rice at higher rates than the suggested P27 per kilo for regular milled rice and P32 for well-milled rice.