The National Food Authority (NFA) on Tuesday said the rice supply in Surigao del Norte will be enough to meet the requirements of the province for more than two weeks.
NFA Administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino said the food agency’s warehouses in Caraga have rice stocks amounting to more than 232,000 50-kilogram bags, or about 11,600 metric tons (MT).
Aquino said the agency already released 200 50-kg bags of NFA rice upon the
request of the local government of Surigao del Norte for its relief operations after the magnitude 6.7 hit the province on February 10.
“It is one of the mandates of NFA to provide rice to a calamity-stricken area within 22 hours from the occurrence of a calamity or emergency,” Aquino said.
Aquino also said the NFA has enough rice inventory nationwide, pegged at 8.88 million 50-kg bags equivalent to 444,080.6 MT as of February 10.
The NFA said it has standing memorandum of agreements with various relief agencies, which allow local government units (LGUs) to withdraw rice on credit from the food agency anytime during calamities and emergencies.
“The NFA Regional Office in Caraga is also coordinating with other LGUs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and other relief agencies for further issuance of rice for distribution to affected families and those in the evacuation centers,” the NFA said in a statement.
The NFA added it has deployed market-monitoring teams to assess the rice supply and price situation in the market after the earthquake struck the region.
“The teams were also instructed to inspect NFA-accredited rice-retail outlets to ensure that affordable government rice is readily available and accessible to the consuming public especially those in affected areas in the region,” the NFA said.
Based on the reports of their monitoring team, the NFA said the prevailing market price of commercial rice in Caraga remains stable.
Local government officials earlier placed Surigao City under a state of calamity.