NFA-Aklan ‘Tagpuan Day’ to benefit rice consumers

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Rolling stores of the National Food Authority (NFA)-Aklan were reactivated for the ‘Tagpuan Day’ Rice Response Delivery project to sell rice at a low price.

PHOTO AKLAN FORUM JOURNAL 

Local residents who live in far-flung barangays will get quality and affordable rice from NFA-accredited rolling stores. The regular-milled rice is sold to each consumer at P27 per kilogram.  

NFA-Aklan deployed its rolling stores in the towns of Libacao and Nabas for marginalized consumers and indigenous peoples to directly avail of government subsidized and lower-priced rice variant.

The agency is also activating Tagpuan Day manned by NFA team in Ibajay, Boracay Island (Malay) and Batan to reach intended poor beneficiaries at the onset of increase commercial rice prices.  

The NFA activity was conducted in collaboration with local government units and Grains Retailers’ Confederation of the Philippines, Inc. (GRECON)-Aklan.

NFA-Aklan provincial administrator Josephine Venus Castillo said NFA rice stocks in Aklan are not enough to supply the entire population and influence the prices of commercial rice in the markets.

The agency is also closely monitoring NFA-accredited rice dealers and inspecting the warehouses of traders who may be hoarding or diverting the NFA rice then sold as commercial rice at higher price.

NFA is mandated to provide food security through rice buffet stocking, conducts monitoring of the grains markets and businessmen, enforces the rules and regulations governing grains business, licensing and registration of all rice and corn business.

In the latest price monitoring, the commercial rice prices in Aklan ranged from P50 to P55 per kilo.