Aklan Has Enough Rice

The province of Aklan has enough rice until the next harvest period in October, according to the National Food Authority (NFA), Kalibo, Aklan.

NFA-Aklan Provincial Manager Marianito Bejemino reported that as of July 20, Aklan has a total of 271,000 bags of rice stored in households, warehouses of private traders, millers and at the NFA warehouse in Linabuan Sur, Banga, Aklan.

With this current rice inventory, Bejemino said Aklan will have rice supply good for 56 days. He also said that commercial rice daily enters Aklan from Mindoro, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo to add to the supply of the private sector in Aklan involved in rice trading.

On the part of NFA-Aklan, an inflow of 20,000 bags of rice a month is sent from Iloilo City to augment the supply of the food agency. Last year, NFA-Aklan’s monthly inflow was only 10,000 a month.

"There is no danger of a rice shortage in the province. Our neighboring provinces are supplying us with rice through commercial/private traders, and the NFA is focusing on rice concerns here. Aklan is prepared for the lean months", Bejemino assured the Aklanons.

Presently, the NFA is regularly conducting "Palengke Watch", which involves monitoring of supply and price of rice in markets to give appropriate actions should there be abnormalities found in the supply and price of rice sold.

The NFA is also currently deploying rolling stores to far-flung municipalities and barangays in Aklan for easy accessibility of the staple food to residents.

NFA rice is presently sold at P25.00 per kilo in markets and at Bigasan Sa Barangay Outlets (BBO). (Venus G. Villanueva) /MP