Local government units (LGUs) have registered low participation in the country’s affordable rice program because of red tape, lack of funds and logistics, the National Food Authority (NFA) said on Tuesday.
“Each LGU has its own challenge. Some have funds, and some need to get a resolution from their Sanggunian – mostly procedural,” NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said in an interview on the state-sponsored Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon television program of PTV-4.
NFA is selling rice to LGUs at P33 per kilogram (kg), but cannot go lower than that, and local governments may set their selling price only up to P35 per kg.
“At P33 per kg, the subsidy is already huge. For now, we cannot bring down the price of NFA rice any further,” Lacson said.
“All (NFA) branches nationwide are accepting inquiries and letters of intent from LGUs,” Lacson said.
The food agency is coordinating with the Food Terminal Inc. on the transport of rice stock from NFA warehouses so consumers can benefit from the rice program, he added.
Seventy LGUs are interested in buying NFA rice, but the food agency could only commit firm allocations to San Juan City, Navotas and Camarines Sur.
Cotabato City and Bacolod City have contacted the NFA regarding affordable rice stock.
In the case of San Juan, only 1,000 bags have so far been released out of the 8,000 50-kg bags the city has ordered, Lacson said.
Another 1,000 bags have been released as well to Navotas, he said.
“We are still hoping for a nationwide distribution of rice at an affordable price,” Lacson added.
As the harvest season in April draws near, the NFA assured all stakeholders that palay or unhusked rice bought from farmers will be milled right away to make as much as 35 percent of warehouse space available to receive newly harvested rice.
The NFA also plans to lease warehouses of private companies and cooperatives, and make space for incoming rice stock, Lacson said.
