NFA has sufficient buffer stock amid closure of some warehouses –DA

The Philippines has sufficient buffer stock to fulfill the country’s rice requirement despite the temporary closure of some warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA), the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday. 

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said as of April 3, around 97 NFA warehouses remained padlocked. 

“As of the moment, nakabili naman ang NFA ng certain amount. So, there’s stocks available and it’s harvest season, as we all know, and harvest season will continue until May,” said Tiu Laurel in a press briefing in Nueva Ecija. 

(The NFA has procured a certain amount, so there are stocks available. It is also currently harvest season and it will continue until May.)

“Sa report sa importations of rice, regular naman ang quantities na dumadating. Suffficient for the requirements of our country,” he said. 

(On importation, we receive regular quantities. We have sufficient supply for our country’s requirements.) 

Last month, the Agriculture Department ordered the temporary shutdown of some NFA warehouses amid the ongoing investigation of the Ombudsman into the alleged irregular sale of rice buffer stock.

The DA said it is fast-tracking the reopening of warehouses to ensure the NFA’s continuous operations and palay procurement activities.

“Hindi naman dahil sa taas ng presyo ng palay na binibili ng mga traders, hindi rin masyado nakabili ang NFA. Naka-set ang buying price ng NFA nung January or February at P23. Ang presyo ngayon ng buying ng traders anywhere from P27 to P30,” Tiu Laurel said. 

(The NFA’s procurement activities remain unaffected by the closure because of the high prices. The NFA was not able to purchase a lot because the buying price was set in January to be at P23. The traders are now buying at P27 to P30.)

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 anti-graft court, 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.

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. —VAL, GMA Integrated News