Council admits NFA rice stock won’t last a day

April 4, 2018

The National Food Authority Council admitted on Wednesday government-subsidized rice has significantly been depleted, with buffer stock not lasting for one day.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Cabinet Secretary and NFA Council chairman Leoncio Evasco Jr. said the NFA rice buffer stock was at 0.35 or equivalent to 200,000 bags throughout the country.

"We have to proactively think about it. In fact, I have to meet the Council members about this because this is a new development," Evasco said when asked on what the government should do in case a calamity hits the country.

The NFA provides rice to disaster-struck areas.

Evasco said President Rodrigo Duterte is set to meet big rice traders on Thursday to get commitment that they would not hoard rice.

"In fact, if there is a sector in our country that can manipulate the presence of rice in our market, it’s the traders," he said.

Evasco slammed the NFA management for coming out with an earlier statement that the the agency's buffer stock has been wiped out.

"An irresponsible issuance of a statement that there is no more rice in our market would immediately create a reaction on people who do have rice on their hands. Withdrew and speculate the day when to release it at a higher price at the detriment of the consuming public," he said.

Evasco said the abolition of NFA is now being considered.

"If we follow the proposal of the Department of Finance to do away the quantitative restrictions, definitely NFA will be abolished because we will now allow private traders to buy and sell this rice here in our country," he said, noting that a bill is now pending in Congress.

But Evasco added NFA could only be abolished if the country has enough rice produced to feed Filipinos.

The Cabinet official said the NFA Council has been coordinating with the Commission on Audit for it to conduct an special audit on the NFA to determine if it has been "buying rice at a proper timing."

"NFA should be audited regarding the release of NFA rice assuming to the market. Because from what we have gotten – from the reports of NFA – during October, November of last year and January of this year, there was an average of delivery of rice from the warehouse of NFA to outside at the average of one million bags per month," he said.

"Now, why will you release so much rice to the market when it is in time of the harvest season? Comparing this to the June, July, August, we found in the report that there was less rice given out to the market when at that time it was lean months. Meaning to say, there were few rice available in the market. So that’s the reason why we are asking COA to conduct an audit, if only to clarify things and maybe absolve NFA," Evasco explained. Celerina Monte/DMS