NFA Starts Selling Rice in Mindanao as Imports Arrive

QUEZON CITY, June 21 — Consumers in the Caraga region in Mindanao were the first to benefit from the freshly-delivered imported rice of the National Food Authority (NFA) as the agency started selling the much-awaited affordable rice since June 8.

Imported rice deliveries from Vietnam first arrived on June 2 at the ports of Surigao and Subic, two of the 14 designated discharge ports for the rice importation across the country.

Delivery in Surigao was immediately unloaded, but those brought to Subic had to wait for 13 days for the weather to clear up before unloading could be done starting yesterday.

In the province of Agusan del Norte, NFA has already distributed 655 bags to its accredited retailers in the area. In Surigao del Norte, a mobile store was deployed to sell rice at P27/kg in Alegria, a depressed community in the province, starting June 18.

As of June 19, a total of 107,600 MT from Vietnam and Thailand have already arrived in various disports across the country. From this volume, 97,040 MT are still in the ports waiting to be unloaded after proper documentation is completed. The 10,560 MT were already delivered in their designated warehouses.

Another four vessels are in transit carrying 33,100 MT, while 60,700 MT are still being loaded at the ports in Vietnam and Thailand. Arrivals of all the contacted volume are expected to be completed this week.

The NFA awarded last May 4 to Vietnam and Thailand the contract to supply 250,000 metric tons of rice consisting of 200,000 MT of 25 percent and 50,000 MT of 15 percent broken rice.

Of the total volume, a total of 75,000 MT will be discharged in the Port of Manila; 25,000 MT each in Subic and Cebu; 20,000 MT in Tabaco; 19,000 MT in Batangas; 16,000 MT in Cagayan de Oro City; 15,000 MT in Davao City; 14,000 MT at Poro Point in La Union; 12,000 MT in Tacloban; 10,000 MT in General Santos City; 6,000 MT in Cagayan De Oro; 5,000 MT in Surigao City; and 4,000MT each in Iloilo and Bacolod. (NFA)