No Hike in Rice Price in Cebu, Central Visayas Despite El Niño – NFA 7 Exec

An official of the National Food Authority (NFA) 7 has assured Cebuanos there will be no increase in the price of rice despite the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

“There’s no need for us to get worried,” said NFA 7 Assistant Director Nestor Rey Alcoseba.

Alcoseba said the price of rice remains stable in Cebu and in Central Visayas even if drought-like conditions have affected the agricultural sector in the region, especially in Cebu.

Alcoseba said the NFA 7 still has 2.1 million sacks of rice.

Cebu is not a rice-producing region, but is a trading center for all goods, including rice, produced from other provinces.

The NFA said most of the rice sold in Cebu came from other rice-producing provinces.

The NFA 7 also urged newly elected local government unit (LGU) officials to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the NFA on the immediate release of rice whenever a calamity occurs.

Alcoseba said the MOA will allow the LGUs to easily get rice from the NFA through credit. (PNA) FFC/EB/EBP