Government assures of adequate rice supply during US-Iraq conflict

National Food Authority Administrator Arthur C. Yap has assured the public that rice, the Filipino’s staple food, is accessible to all people in all parts of the country as the agency sets into motion a contingency plan under its Oplan Paghahanda.

Oplan Paghahanda is the NFA’s food security preparedness program launched in February in view of the conflict between the United States and Iraq.

Yap said the agency is presently undertaking full blast milling of its palay stocks even as it has already effected the transfer of rice from high-producing areas to traditionally deficit and high consumption areas across the country.

The NFA administrator outlined these modes of action in a meeting with the National Security Council in Malacañang.

Aside from the National Capital Region, Yap identified Batangas, Benguet, Palanan, Quezon, Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate and Palawan in Luzon as critical areas in terms of securing their rice supply.

"We have undertaken full accounting of our available stocks in these areas and identified sources of additional supply as well as the speed and mode of delivery of rice to these provinces when needed," Yap said.

For Luzon, rice supply via land delivery will come from Isabela and Pangasinan in the north and in the south from Batangas which is used as a depot of rice coming from Mindoro and abroad. By sea, other sources of supply are Mindoro, Aurora province and Batangas. For the provinces that are adjacent, delivery of rice by land will only take 48 hours while delivery by sea especially for island provinces will take a minimum of five to a maximum of seven days, according to Yap.

Rice for Metro Manila will be augmented by direct importation as the Port of Manila is one of the major entry points of rice imports.

Yap dismissed the possibility of rice shortage citing the country’s present three months supply of the basic staple while expressing optimism that the present summer harvest will even increase the country’s rice stock.

The NFA accounts for some 31 percent of the country’s total rice inventory.