THE National Food Authority (NFA) does not have enough rice stocks to respond to an emergency in the event of a widespread calamity.
Government auditors issued this warning after its 2020 audit of the NFA showed nine area offices in six regions had lower-than-normal buffer stocks for the entire year, while four other provincial distribution units reported the same issue between one to 10 months.
“The rice inventory levels in the NFA NCR and other ROs/POs (regional and provincial offices) were not consistently maintained resulting in way below the required level of buffer stock requirements…, thus, might compromise the agency’s capability to carry out its mandate …disaster and emergency situations,” the Commission on Audit said.
It pointed out that the NFA is mandated to ensure reliable supply of the staple in all areas of the country at all times, especially when natural disasters strike.
Based on documents obtained by auditors, the NFA distribution areas that failed to maintain buffer stock levels in each of the 12 months in 2020 were the North District Office (NDO) in Valenzuela City, the East District Office in Antipolo City, and South District Office in Taguig City, all under NFA-NCR; Benguet Provincial Office in Region 1 (Ilocos); Infanta, Quezon in Region 4 (Calabarzon), Cebu Provincial Office in Region 7 (Central Visayas); Davao in Region 11 (Davao Region), and the provincial offices in Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte under Region 13 (Caraga).
The NFA-NCR offices said they do not have palay procurement functions hence are dependent on local rice from other provincial offices.
The management added that with enactment of RA No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, the NFA’s importation activities were repealed as local farmers were supposed to be its source of rice stocks.
