DA orders transfer of suspended NFA warehousemen to fast-track warehouse reopening

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is fast-tracking the reopening of padlocked warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure the agency’s continuous operations and palay procurement activities.

To facilitate the reopening of closed NFA warehouses, the DA said it has ordered the transfer of authority of suspended NFA warehousemen to their deputies.

The Agriculture Department issued the statement on the heels of Ombudsman Samuel Martires’ remark questioning the closure of NFA warehouses amid the ongoing investigation by his office into the alleged irregular sale of rice buffer stock. 

In an interview on Dobol B TV, Martires said it is unfair that the Ombudsman would be blamed for NFA’s supposed inability to procure rice stock at present due to the closed warehouses, saying that the warehouses need not be closed.

On Wednesday, DA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said that 79 warehouses remain padlocked amid the investigation of the Ombudsman on the alleged anomalous sale of rice to favored traders.

The padlocked warehouses are located in Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

The Ombudsman has since suspended over a hundred officials and employees of the NFA as part of its probe into the anomalous sale of rice buffer stocks.

The Ombudsman, however, lifted the preventive suspension order of two dozen NFA employees after investigators found erroneous data on the list provided by DA, which was supposedly sourced from the NFA.

“We will ensure that all padlocked warehouses will be opened soonest to optimize the impact of NFA’s procurement activities on rice farmers’ income as well as secure the maximum volume of palay for buffer stocking,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

Under the Rice Tariffication Law, the NFA must maintain a national buffer stock enough for nine days consumption to cover the rice supply requirements during disasters and other natural calamities. The rice stocks must be sourced from local farmers.

Last week, the NFA Council unanimously appointed Director IV Larry Lacson as Officer-in-Charge-Administrator of the grains agency to handle its day-to-day operations.—RF, GMA Integrated News