NFA ready for ‘lean’ months

SAN JOSE, Antique – The National Food Authority (NFA) recently inventoried all stocks of rice in various outlets and found a notable increase enough to last until the harvest season.

The recent monitoring showed that the province has over 352,300 bags of rice from commercial establishments, households and NFA warehouses.

This stock is expected to last for at least 65 days with an average daily consumption of 5,320 bags.

Information Officer Gladdys Gallano assured the Antiqueños that the province has sufficient stocks of rice.

Gallano said during the months of June and July, NFA had no target on palay procurement.

However, there were harvests in some areas of the province, making NFA buy more than 1,000 bags of rice.

Meanwhile, NFA has converted Tindahan Natin outlets into Bigasan sa Barangay.

Tindahan Natin outlets originally sell NFA rice at P18.25 per kilo.

With the new Bigasan sa Barangay, NFA rice is sold at P25 per kilo.

All NFA-accredited outlets — Bigasan sa Barangay (47 stores), individualized Bigasan sa Palengke (17 stores), Bigasan sa Parokya (16 stores) and NFA-managed rolling stores — sell rice for the same price and is open to all consumers.

Gallano also assured that NFA rice sold in accredited stores are fortified with iron, in compliance with Republic Act 8976 or the Food Fortification Law of 2000.

NFA also distributes rice under the Food-for-School Program (FSP) here.

More than 21,600 day care children and their families from 17 municipalities in the province are benefiting from the program.

Caluya town, on the other hand, is being served by NFA Occidental Mindoro, since it is nearer and more accessible to the province.

Antique has the highest number of FSP beneficiaries in Region VI. (Margie Gadian/PIA)/PN