Palace assures situation under control amid reported NFA rice shortage

February 6, 2018

Malacanang assured on Tuesday that the situation is under control following reported shortage of government-subsidized rice.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said he was informed by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., chairman of the National Food Authority Council, that there is a standby order for 250,000 metric tons of rice.

"He (Evasco) says that situation really is under control. There is a standby order for 250,000 metric tons of rice. So, of course we will not allow our inventory to be depleted," he said.

He did not elaborate where the standby order for 250,000 MT of rice would be sourced.

Senator Nancy Binay has raised concern over the "dwindling supply" of NFA rice in the market.

NFA sells rice at a much lower price.

Binay has noted the rising prices of regular and well-milled rice by P1 to P3 per kilo in six regional centers, including National Capital Region, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

NFA earlier said that it was still pushing for the immediate replenishment of its "fast-depleting buffer stock" via importation for the agency to be able to effectively fulfill its mandate of food security and price stabilization in the wake of increasing prices of other basic commodities.

The NFA Council, the inter-agency policy-making body of NFA, had disapproved the agency’s request to import 250,000 metric tons of rice in view of the “stable” commercial rice prices and “bright” local production forecasts. Celerina Monte/DMS