NFA Council stressed no rice shortage: Roque

March 6, 2018

The National Food Authority (NFA) Council has been charged to be the only authority to discuss about the rice situation in the country.

This was after NFA Administrator Jason Aquino apparently alarmed the public regarding the depletion of government-subsidized rice during the past months.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said during the Cabinet meeting on Monday in Malacanang, the NFA Council briefed the Cabinet there was no shortage of rice.

"That the reported shortfall or the reported stockpile available for the country which allegedly was only for 1.5 days is absolutely untrue," he said.

"The 1.5 day stockpile is if we did not have any other source of rice other than NFA. Meaning, if we only had NFA in our possession, we would only have 1.5 days worth of supply. But the reality of course, is that NFA constitutes a minority for our rice supply, bulk of our rice supply consist of commercial rise and that henceforth, it will be the NFA Council that shall speak on the current rice situation," Roque added.

The NFA Council is headed by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, who earlier expressed doubt over NFA's statement there could be a possible rice shortage if the government would not allow to import rice.

But President Rodrigo Duterte prevailed upon Evasco when he made a verbal order to import 250,000 metric tons of rice last month.

In a decision of the NFA Council last February, it approved the importation of the 250,000 metric tons of rice, which should arrive in the country after harvest season, which is about first week of June.

Roque said Aquino would be invited to attend in the Cabinet cluster meeting next month to further shed light on the issue. Celerina Monte/DMS