By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—A once empty warehouse of the National Food Authority here now brims with sacks of rice imported from Thailand.
NFA provincial manager Eleanor Andres said they unloaded an initial 250 bags of rice on July 1, 2018 at the Laoag warehouse.
From the Poro Point in San Fernando, La Union, the NFA official expects a total of 280,000 bags for Region 1.
Ms. Andres said at least 32,000 bags has been slated for Ilocos Norte, which she expects to arrive in the province until December this year.
“We hope to complete the delivery before a calamity strikes. By then, we will be ready for relief operations, which [we will prioritize] in the NFA rice distribution,” said Andres.
Upon arrival of the first shipment in Laoag, the NFA Laoag manager said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in the cities of Batac and Laoag were the first to withdraw a part of the newly arrived NFA rice.
Though there is no rice shortage in the province, Ms. Andres explained that the low supply nationwide affected rice prices in Ilocos region.
This prompted the national government to import rice to replenish NFA’s rice buffer stocks.
“We hope to maintain the current price of rice which ranges from PHP27 to PHP32 per kilogram,” she ended.