The National Food Authority (NFA) has approved the recommendation to sell aging but good NFA rice stocks at P29 per kilo to select beneficiaries for a limited period through Kadiwa rolling stores.
"Pangunahing layunin ng programang ito na makapagbigay ng bigas sa abot-kayang presyo na P29 kada kilo para sa mga mahihinang sektor ng lipunan (This program primarily aims to offer rice at a cost-effective rate of P29 per kilogram for the vulnerable sectors of society),” NFA Acting Administrator Larry Lacson said in a televised media briefing on Friday, June 21.
Among the target beneficiaries are solo parents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and eventually Indigenous People (IP).
Meanwhile, Lacson assured the good quality of “aging” NFA rice, which undergoes laboratory tests.
“Ang NFA ay hindi maglalabas ng mga stock na hindi angkop para sa pagkonsumo ng tao. Mayroon silang pamamaraan para sa mga luma at hindi nabentang mga stock. Pero, bihira itong umabot sa puntong iyon (The NFA has a strict policy of not distributing stocks that are unsuitable for human consumption. They have established a systematic procedure for dealing with expired or unsold stocks. However, it is a rare occurrence for them to actually reach that stage)," he said.
Lacson said palay is considered “old” when it has been stocked for six months, while it is three months for milled rice.
NFA typically sells its stocks to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), and local government units (LGUs), among others.
Purchase limit
The NFA Council, meanwhile, has established a purchase restriction of 10 kilograms per household each month, as the initiative aims to serve 6.9 million families or over 34 million Filipinos.
“Syempre, hindi nito sasagutin ang mga pangangailangan sa araw-araw, ngunit isang malaking bagay na makakatulong sa kanila ay iyong sampung kilo na binili nila sa halagang P29 (Certainly, it may not fulfill their daily requirements, but a significant assistance it offers is the ten kilograms they purchased for P29),” Lacson said.
The DA said the identification or monitoring cards will be used to verify the one-time or delayed purchase of 10 kg per recipient.
Overall, the NFA aims to provide 69,000 metric tons (MT) of subsidized rice, with monthly social costs ranging from P1.39 billion to P1.53 billion.
Lacson further highlighted that NFA's import strategy for the Bigas 29 program is only "an option for augmentation" in case inventories run out.
Tariff cut
Lacson, however, said he will engage in a discussion with President Marcos about the proposed tariff reduction to 15 percent on imported rice, as it could have implications for farmers if implemented gradually.
He said there’s a need for a “periodic review instead of a fixed reduction” until 2028.
“During our conversations with industry stakeholders, recommendations varied from reassessing the tariff either biannually, annually, or even quarterly," Lacson said.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board previously granted approval for the decrease of tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent in order to mitigate the effects of elevated retail costs on the populace.
The tariff cut is expected to lower the retail price of imported rice by P6 to P7 per kilo.