P32 NFA Rice Selling Like ‘Hotcakes’

The Php32 per kilogram National Food Authority (NFA) rice is fast moving, selling like hotcakes in the different Institutionalized Bigasan sa Palengke (IBSP) outlets in public markets here in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.

The government allocates 50 bags a week to IBSP retail stores, which are also sold at a maximum limit of five kilograms to every consumer-buyer.

“This quality cheap rice should be enjoyed by the most number of our consumers and not taken advantage of by unscrupulous enterprising rice traders. We are doing everything that this will happen,” Regional Director Fernando Nunez assured in his meeting with provincial managers in the region.

The NFA Region 10 management is considering to calibrate its distribution track, reducing the volume limit to three kilograms per buyer to sustain the stocks and so more buyers can avail of the cheap quality rice.

The agency also considers increasing its allocation to its accredited outlets, Nunez revealed.

This is also being done as NFA continues to increase its number of retail outlets in the barangays in the City and Misamis Oriental.

Barangay-based Bigasang Bayan Outlets (BBOs) are each allocated 20 bags weekly to sell at P32 per kilogram.

BFT accreditation

The NFA here is likewise still evaluating other Department of Agriculture (DA)-sponsored barangay food terminal (BFT) applicants operated by farmer groups, fisherfolk, and LGUs for accreditation to distribute the subsidized rice according to the demographic profile of the BFT and actual evaluation done by the joint team of NFA and DA.

BFTs in far-flung, depressed barangays with no NFA rice retail outlet will be authorized to sell the Php27/kg NFA rice.

Otherwise, the BFT outlet will be given the Php32.00/kg allocation.

As of this reporting, NFA has approved about seven BFTs which operate as its retail outlets.

DA-10 Regional Director Carlene Collado and NFA-10 RD Nunez led the launching of the BFT as rice distribution outlet in Barangay Agusan, which was lauded by no less than DA Secretary Emmanuel Pinol as the first BFT rice outlet which should be emulated and replicated throughout the country on June 28.

Collado for his part exhorted the “significant tie-up” between DA and NFA and hope that this partnership will continue and become stronger.

BFT is a barangay-based food center where farmer-producers bring and directly market their fresh food products like meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, and fruits for display primarily for the consumers to buy.

This system directly links the producers directly to the consumers, eliminating the trading levels of food distribution, and cutting the cost of food carry-over incidental expenses as well as levels of profits to the most minimum in favor of not only the producer-seller but also the consumer-buyer.

This way, prices of food products are maintained at the barest and lowest level.

DA-RFO 10 through its Agribusiness Marketing and Assistance Division (AMAD) spearheads and oversees the establishment of BFTs in the region.

Under this program, DA grants Php300,000 to Php400,000 to their beneficiaries to cover costs for building, equipment and facilities, and start-up/operating capital.

In addition to this financial package, DA in partnership with the Philippine Center for Enterpreneurship (PCE) facilitates preparatory training for the BFT operators through the Kapatid Agri Mentor Me Program that covers as follows: bookkeeping lessons; capability enhancement; value formation; and other such training significant to agribusiness.

Collado said, Cagayan de Oro City to this date, has 10 operational, active BFTs, while Region 10 has 55 and 11 municipal food terminals. (NFA10/PIA)