The National Food Authority in Bicol (NFA-5) on Friday assured the public that it has ample palay and rice stocks to support relief operations for local government units affected by the ongoing unrest of Mayon Volcano.
In a press conference on Friday, Julie Llenaresas, assistant regional manager of NFA-5, reported that the agency has 766,600 bags of palay and 103,517 bags of milled rice in stock, with each bag weighing 50 kilograms.
“As of now, we have sufficient stocks, especially rice,” Llenaresas said.
“During the harvest season, we were able to procure a lot of rice, particularly in Camarines Sur. That’s why we have a large quantity of rice that can be distributed as relief goods to our affected Mayon families.”
Llenaresas said should Mayon alert status escalates and remains high for as long as six months, neighboring NFA regions are prepared to augment the rice supply.
“If it lasts for six months, the neighboring NFA regions are ready to issue augmentation to the affected families,” she added.
Llenaresas encouraged farmers to sell their harvest to the agency, which offers PHP17/kg. for wet palay and PHP23/kg. for clean and dry palay, helping boost buffer stocks for emergencies.
Meanwhile, NFA Albay reported that 2,060 sacks of rice are being withdrawn from its Tabaco City warehouse for use in ongoing relief operations for Mayon-affected communities. (PNA)