Starting today, April 16, consumers in the National Capital Region (NCR) will have an alternative source of good quality rice at P39/kg as the country’s rice traders, millers and retailers make good their promise to the President to help the government ensure the presence of affordable commercial rice while waiting for replenishment of National Food Authority (NFA) rice buffer stocks.
About 10 trailer trucks delivered rice early morning yesterday from Nueva Ecija to the NFA Visayas Warehouse for distribution to accredited retailers. Some 5 to 8 other trucks will deliver direct to designated market destinations.
Several pilot “service outlets” will start selling the low-priced commercial rice in Baclaran and Quezon City markets. In Quezon City, service outlets will open in Commonwealth, Litex, Silangan, Payatas and Tondo Talipapa. All other NCR markets will sell the same variety and price of rice starting April 18.
The service outlets shall be marked by a tarpaulin streamer dubbed “Tulong sa Bayan” and the price and rice variety being sold. This effort is a joint project of the Office of the President, the Confederation of Grains Retailers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (GRECON), the Philippine Confederation of Grains Associations (Philcongrains) and NFA.
GRECON members who are also accredited retailers of NFA rice will sell the rice direct to consumers. Supply of the rice from Isabela and Nueva Ecija will be delivered either direct to the retailers or through the NFA’s NCR warehouses and storage facilities, when needed.
GRECON national president James Magbanua said they might limit sale of the rice to 3 kilograms per customer per day in order to stretch supplies to serve as many consumers as possible. The UN World Food Programme estimates that in countries where rice is a staple food, like the Philippines, a person consumes an average of 400 grams of rice per day. Thus, for a family of 6, about 2.4 kgs of rice is needed for their daily consumption.
The traders commit to continue their “Tulong sa Bayan” until NFA rice is once more available in the market.
The NFA is finalizing the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the immediate importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice approved by President Duterte to bring back the P27 and P32/kg NFA rice into the markets nationwide.
