NFA augments rice supply in ARMM provinces

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The National Food Authority (NFA) has increased the supply of rice in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi after the Malaysian government closed Sabah to traders from Mindanao, an official has said.

“We have augmented the supply. There is an ongoing shipment,” Angel Imperial Jr., NFA-Region 9 director, told a  conference hosted by the Department of Agriculture here on Tuesday in observance of rice awareness month.

Imperial said the NFA regional office provided an additional 15,000 bags.

The provinces, particularly Tawi-Tawi, source its commodities from Sabah due to its proximity. However, supply was cut off in April after Malaysia closed the border in the wake of kidnappings of Malaysian fishermen by Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Imperial gave assurance that the NFA regional office has enough stocks at 307,000 bags.

“Even though these areas are under the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), there is an order from the national government to continuously assist with rice supply,” he said.

Imperial said the affected areas would also get their share from another 250,000 metric tons of rice that are expected to arrive from Thailand.