635 NFA Bigasan Barangay Outlets in Region 6

The National Food Authority (NFA) Regional Office 6 has already accredited 635 Bigasan Barangay Outlets (BBOs) which sell government subsidized rice to the indigent families.

NFA assistant regional director Vilma Azarraga said that these BBOs are mostly the Tindahan Natin Outlets (TNOs) that were converted into BBOs this year as NFA’s strategy to reduce loses in their sales.

Azarraga said that with the TNO before the NFA would buy rice for P17 per kilo and then sell it to the TNO operators for P16.75 per kilo which in turn is being sold for P18.25 per kilo to the NFA consumers.

"Because of the subsidy, the NFA has incurred big loses from selling rice," the NFA official said.

She said that with the BBO, a strategy has been formulated wherein the NFA buys rice for P17 per kilo then sells it to the BBO operators for P23.50 per kilo. The BBO outlets sell it for P25 per kilo to the consumers.

Azarraga added that in Western Visayas, there are 549 TNOs that were converted into BBOs, with some new outlets which applied as pure BBOs. (PNA) /MP