By Manilyn Ugalge
LEGAZPI CITY, July 22 (PNA) –- The National Food Authority in Bicol said there has been no finding of presence of the widely reported faked rice in the region’s six provinces.
Responding to the existence of fake rice that initially surfaced in Mindanao, Governor Joey Sarte Salceda of Albay urged government authorities to be extra vigilant in monitoring the staple food’s supply in the region.
But while the NFA asserted on the non-existence of fake rice in any part of the Bicol Region, consumers cannot help decrying the scarcity of NFA rice in the market.
NFA Regional Director Ruben Reside could not be contacted for comment but his public affairs chief, Lilibeth Jacob, said the reported fake rice that recently surfaced in Tabaco City turned out to be a hoax, adding, that the agency is continuously closely monitoring the situation.
Consumers Generoso Butial and “padyak” operator Telesforo Begil of Tabaco City complained they could hardly avail of the NFA’s rice of Php27 a kilo in the market.
Oftentimes, they said, they have to resort to buying instead the NFA rice priced at Php32 a kilo.
The two, however, said there have been many instances that even the Php32-per kilo NFA rice also remains elusive in the market.
Butial and Begil are just among the many consumers complaining about the NFA rice scarcity even as the NFA Bicol officials continue claiming about its abundant stock and supply in the market.
Consumers sid if NFA rice is the most sought-after and easily disposed commodity in the market as claimed by NFA officials themselves because of its high quality, how come there is no more supply in the market as early as 10:00 a.m. and no replenishment comes?
According to Jacob, NFA outlets suspected of hoarding and diverting their NFA rice allocations instead of selling these in the market at the government pegged price should be reported at once to face the consequence of getting their accreditation cancelled.
She, however, said that their strict monitoring of NFA rice supply in the market showed abundance of supply.
The NFA spokesperson said there are an estimated 2,800 NFA rice retailer outlets in the Bicol Region.
Complainants said that as early as 8:00 a.m., many NFA rice retailers in the market are already found with no NFA rice supply, fueling speculations that NFA rice goes directly to big-time traders for rebagging and selling it as a commercial rice variety at a higher price.
NFA officials claimed that the NFA Php27-a-kilo rice has the equivalent quality of a Php40-a-kilo commercial rice while the Php32-per-kilo NFA rice has the quality of a Php42-a-kilo commercial rice. (PNA)