NFA brings rice to Zamboanga City villages after shortage

FOLLOWING A grave rice shortage in Zamboanga City in the past two weeks that saw regular mill rice sold at as much as P80 per kilogram, the National Food Authority (NFA) Zamboanga Peninsula regional office has launched a program to bring supply directly to the different villages. “Aside from the market places, we will also have distributions of NFA rice in the different villages in the city,” said NFA Assistant Regional Director Ruben M. Manatad. The program, dubbed Tagpuan Day, sets up temporary selling points in the barangays with NFA rice priced at P 32 per kilogram. “Each person is allowed to purchase at least five kilograms of NFA rice,” Mr. Manatad said. Earlier this month, Zamboanga City and its neighboring island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Taw-Tawi experienced a sudden increase in commercial rice prices due to a strengthened campaign against smuggled rice, coupled by the delay of imports by the government and the off harvest season. Last week, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” F. Piñol flew to the city to assess the rice shortage situation. “We would like to assure the people of Zamboanga that we have an available supply of rice,” he said. “What happened was the delay of the importation, this was one of the reason why the price increased,” he said, “and the untimely off harvest season, so it complicated the problem.” — Albert F. Arcilla