NFA says warehouses full as P20 rice rollout nears

National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Larry Lacson assured the public that NFA warehouses still have an ample supply of rice stocks.

During an interview, Lacson mentioned that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is actively working on expanding the P20 per kilo rice initiative nationwide. He noted that farmers will also be part of the list of eligible buyers for the affordable rice.

"Overall, puno pa rin ang mga bodega natin kaya sana mailabas na ang mga stock," Lacson stated.

He explained that based on evaluations, consumers appear satisfied with the P20/kg rice program and are ready to access stocks whenever supply runs low.

However, Lacson emphasized that launching such programs nationwide involves several layers of planning.

"Pero 'yung pagro-rollout ng mga nationwide project na ganyan, it entails a lot of considerations, logistics mainly. Doon nagkakaroon ng bottleneck. 'Yun naman ang sinosolusyunan. Kami sa Department of Agriculture, sa NFA, talagang weekly nagmi-meeting at pinag-uusapan ito," he added.

He shared the DA's immediate plan: "Ang nakita naming agarang solusyon, sa mga warehouse na mismo ng NFA maglalagay ang DA ng Kadiwa ng Pangulo na initially iro-rollout natin sa malalaking rice-producing regions like Regions 2 and 3."

The initial rollout is scheduled for 13 August, starting in Regions 2 and 3, followed by expansion to the Visayas and Mindanao, aiming to reach all NFA warehouses across the country eventually.

"Generally, lahat [ng warehouse ng NFA ay puno]. Ang medyo bakante lang ay 'yung medyo malalayong warehouse sa mga magsasaka at 'yung mga warehouse na walang dryer," he explained.

Currently, the rice stocks amount to 452,000 metric tons, good for 12 days. Once milled, this will produce around 9 million sacks of rice.