Naga city: The National Food Authority in Bicol (NFA-5) announced that it has stored 823,820 bags of palay (unhusked rice) in various warehouses across the Bicol Region. This stockpile is intended to support the PHP20 per kilogram initiative under the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” program and to provide assistance during calamities.
According to Philippines News Agency, during a press conference at the Philippine Statistics Authority regional office, Menna Endaya, the NFA-5 operations officer, detailed the distribution of the palay inventory. The stock comprises 194,507 bags in Albay, 499,401 bags in Camarines Sur, and 129,912 bags in Sorsogon. Additionally, there is an inventory of 81,247 bags of local rice.
aya explained that under the Department of Labor and Employment’s PHP20 BBM Na initiative, the NFA has been authorized to supply rice to private sectors that have established a memorandum of agreement with the department. Already, 800 bags of rice have been distributed under this program.
The NFA’s stock of palay and rice is also vital for various programs and local government units during emergencies. Endaya emphasized that the NFA’s main distribution program focuses on disaster response, allowing them to preposition supplies for local government units, the Office of Civil Defense, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development at the onset of calamities.
Additionally, the NFA has exceeded its palay procurement target for July, surpassing expectations by more than 139 percent. The target was 10,600 bags of palay, but they procured 14,749 bags, all sourced from local farmers.
