THE NATIONAL Food Authority’s (NFA) rice stockpile grew despite the recent typhoons as well as the government’s expanded rollout of the P20-per-kilo rice program.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the “surprising” increase has brought the stock to 460,000 metric tons (MT).
“Despite the calamities and releases of rice under the ‘Benteng Bigas Meron na,’ we are still buying more rice than we are releasing. That is why we have a healthy buffer stock,” Lacson said.
The NFA’s current buffer stock is enough to last 12 days, more than the minimum nine-day buffer required under the Rice Tariffication Law, according to Lacson. The grain agency plans to raise this to 15 days in 2026.
Lacson said the Benteng Bigas Meron Na program, a pet project of President Marcos under the Department of Agriculture (DA), is now available in all 82 provinces nationwide.
This was after the DA expanded the program on November 13 to Sulu, where 3,000 beneficiaries availed of the P20 per kilo rice.
Lacson said two NFA warehouses in Nueva Vizcaya were affected by recent calamities while an office in the Ilocos Region was also severely impacted by the series of typhoons.
Lacson said 101,000 bags of rice had been released across six typhoon-hit regions— Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Western Visayas and Central Visayas.
A big chunk of that stock was released in Central Visayas and Camarines Sur.
The NFA chief said a potential purchase of storm-damaged rice from farmers depends on the availability of funding. He noted that the agency’s current budget is allocated for the purchase of regular rice.
Latest DA figures peg Typhoon “Tino” and “Uwan’”s combined agricultural damage at P743.83 million.
“Tino” affected 20,362 farmers and damaged 21,971 MT of rice, corn, high-value crops, cassava, livestock and poultry, while Uwan affected 6,580 farmers and damaged 10,839 MT of the same agricultural products. (Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
