NFA Council okays importation of 250,000 MT of rice, expected to arrive by 1st week of June

February 12, 2018

The National Food Authority Council approved on Monday the importation of of 250,000 metric tons of rice following last week's verbal order of President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a press conference after the NFA Council meeting, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr, chairman of the Council, said the imports would arrive in June after the harvest season.

"The standby authority to import 250,000 MT is approved and considering the timing of the harvest season, the importation should arrive after the said harvest season, about first week of June," he said.

He said the imporation will be government-to-private importation or open tender procurement based on the term of reference as in the previous government to private procurement of 2017.

Evasco said this mode of imporation is "in furtherance of a more inclusive, open and transparent method."

The rice will be imported from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China, he said.

Evasco said the NFA will continue the implementation of the minimum access volume rice importation program amounting to 728,475 MT, of which 221,457 MT of rice have  been delivered and 507,017.60 MT is expected to arrive by the end of February and August 2018.

On Feb. 8, Duterte ordered to proceed with importing 250,000 MT following reports there was shortage of NFA rice in the market.

Evasco earlier raised doubt on the reported shortage, saying that the food security committee did not make any recommendation to NFA Council on the urgency to import rice.

Evasco said only 3 to 4 percent of the total rice market share in the country comes from NFA.

Evasco assured the public there was no rice shortage and importation of the 250,000 MT was only as "to NFA's buffer stock."

"In this manner, the NFA Council has assured a directive on the reassessment of the inventory of the NFA, including its procurement and distribution strategies," he said.

Evasco said the production or harvest season among local farmers has started and it shall be at its peak in March, which is estimated to be at 4.9 million MT of palay equivalent to 3.6 MT of rice.

As of February, rice supplies in the country, equivalent to 3.8 million MT, is good for 121 days, he said. Celerina Monte/DMS