THE “uncoordinated and impractical” imposition of the National Food Authority (NFA) of a rice permit for supermarkets provides an additional argument for the grains agency’s abolition, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said on Sunday.
“This is an ill-conceived move… If you are the supermarket owner, are you going to pay the permit fee if in the first place you are not required to sell NFA rice?” the senator said in a statement.
“This is yet another reason why the NFA should be abolished,” he added.
On Sept. 19, the NFA signed a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association (Pagasa), Inc. to allow supermarkets to sell NFA rice.
The move was intended to improve access to affordable grades of rice sold by the NFA, according to the DTI.
According to news reports, Pagasa said the NFA is charging P115,000 from retailers with a paid-up capital of P10 million in order for them to be permitted to sell NFA-grade rice.
“Even the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry has said that there was no permit fee in the MoA. So why is the NFA now suddenly and unilaterally charging this arbitrary fee?” Mr. Gatchalian said.
Asked for comment, NFA spokesperson Rex C. Estoperez said supermarket owners can call a meeting with the grains agency to further discuss the issue.
“We have told (supermarket owners) that the license cannot be waived. We can relax some requirements but not the license because it is mandated by the law,” he said in a phone interview. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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