NFA rice back in public markets

CEBU, Philippines — The National Food Authority in Central Visayas has announced that supply of low-priced rice is back and will be available at Taboan and Carbon public markets starting today.

NFA-7 information officer Olma Bayno said that since Wednesday they have distributed NFA rice through accredited rice retailers in the public markets of Mandaue City, Danao City, San Fernando, and Consolacion.

 Bayno said that 25 percent broken NFA rice is sold at P27 per kilo while P32 per kilo for 15 percent broken.

The NFA earlier controlled the sale of ‘cheap rice’ at five kilos per customer because of lack of supply.

Bayno said the importation of rice is now back to normal and they now have supply available in the warehouses. She clarified that despite the absence of supply from NFA earlier there was no shortage of food in the country because of the presence of commercial rice in the market although the prices went up by as much as P3 per kilo.

Bayno said that they are expecting the prices of commercial rice to go down now that the supply of NFA rice is back.  A total of 500,000 bags of imported rice from Vietnam and Thailand arrived at the Port of Cebu over the past weeks. — FPL (FREEMAN)