By Rey Anthony Chiu, PIA-Bohol | 08:01 PM May 01, 2020
NFA Bohol manager Maria Fe Evasco appealed to LGUs as she emphasized that this problem that Bohol faces now is unlike any other calamity when nobody can forecast when this will end, where it will hit, how many would be affected and where to drop the bulk of the food supply.
Speaking during the recent Kapihan sa PIA, Evasco, along with NFA information officer Joel Lim said while the NFA has delivered in the rice requirements of congressional offices, provincial Glgovernment, municipal government and barangay government procurement for rice supply in their first wave of relief operations to respond to the people’s needs in this coronavirus pandemic times, the buffer stocks now may not be enough to cater to everyone in the second wave of relief operations.
“As much as we want, we have to taper down on the distribution of relief in rice,” Evasco appealed to LGUs, knowing that there is not enough for everyone.
These are unusual times, where there is an unusual demand, and it is not just only Bohol that is demanding rice now, as NFA shipment is based on the occasion, she explained over the radio forum which was aired live on DyTR Am last Thursday, April 13.
Without the COVID-caused disruption, Bohol NFA would only be getting a smaller shipment, based on the NFA rice shipment and marketing plan for the whole year.
Over this, with buffer stocks now at 26,000 bags and Boholanos consuming an average of 9,920 bags a day, the figure could be critically alarming.
But, Evasco explained that by buffering, the NFA only keeps a small percentage of the over-all buffer requirement for the province, the biggest stocks would come from the commercial traders and the household stocks of farmers, which can comprise the total available supply for an area.
NFA said they had released some 21,000 bags for the first wave of relief operations to COVID affected families, 200 bags to MLGUs and 10 bags to barangay LGUS.
But on the next wave of relief operations, NFA said they might still be able to provide for the needs of the municipal governments and the DSWD bulk purchases but not anymore for every barangay.
“Our remaining inventory [is now set] for LGUS and the DSWD, and we can only cater on a first come, first served basis,” Evasco bared.
The 26,000 bags of rice, NFA assured, considering the consumption trends that the government buffer stock would still be over 15 days, and that is within the Rice Tariffication Law buffer stock limits.
NFA cited an independent study to determine how much is the ideal buffer volume for NFA to maintain, and it too is stocking between 15 to 30 days.
In fact with the present situation, NFA Information Officer Joel Lim announced that they have still suspended their distribution of NFA buffer stocks to commercial sellers in the Bigasang Bayan to be able to assure stocks for those affected by the government implemented anti-COVID measures.
As to increasing its buffer stock by its local rice procurement program, Evasco said they have not any local stocks as the government buying price is still below the commercial traders’ buying price, which, to her, is already good for the farmers affected by these difficult times.
The NFA is awaiting for a new shipment of 40,000 bags, and until then, saving on rice could be beneficial to Boholanos.
