The national rice buffer stock is now good for 10 days amid the palay (unhusked rice) procurement from the local farmers, the National Food Authority (NFA) said Friday.
Data from the NFA showed that the 10-day buffer stock is equivalent to 7.56 million bags of milled rice, which is considered the highest volume since the end of 2020.
In a statement, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson vowed to continue the buying of palay to support local farmers.
“We still have about PHP12 billion allocated for palay procurement, and we intend to maximize purchases during the ongoing summer harvest,” he said.
The NFA has been buying palay from local farmers at prices ranging from PHP18 to PHP24 per kilogram amid the harvest season.
The agency targets to procure palay enough to supply the country’s rice buffer stock for 15 days.
As of April 24, the NFA’s total rice inventory consists of 10.1 million bags of palay and 1.2 million bags of milled rice.
Lacson, meanwhile, said the continuous palay procurement will also be beneficial for Filipino consumers.
“This will support the government’s initiative to provide more affordable rice to Filipino consumers,” he said.
To date, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been selling the NFA’s aging but good quality rice stocks worth PHP29/kg. to the vulnerable sector including members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWD), and solo parents under the P29 program.
The DA also announced the sale of PHP20/kg of rice to benefit more Filipino consumers, as earlier promised by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“Hopefully, we can identify a legal mechanism that allows us to move forward with the program, even without an exemption from the Commission on Elections, so we can finally deliver on this long-awaited promise of President Marcos,” DA Secretary Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
The DA said the pilot launch of the PHP20/kg rice sale will be held in Visayas to be followed by a nationwide implementation.
Under the program, each family has a weekly purchase limit of 10 kg and 40 kg per month. (PNA)