The National Food Security Council recommended the immediate importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice to beef up the buffer stock for the lean season, NFA spokesperson Marietta Ablaza said over the weekend.
Marietta said in a telephone interview the final volume would be tackled by the NFA council in a meeting this week.
The NFSC in a meeting Thursday recommended the importation of 250,000 metric tons plus the 805,000 metric tons under the Minimum Access Volume. “But the NFA Council will be the one to decide,” said Ablaza.
Ablaza said the NFA Council would convene a special meeting this week or next week to discuss the final volume of imports and the guidelines for MAV importation.
Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco earlier said the NFA Council approved the importation via government to private scheme to augment the buffer stock for the coming lean months of July to September.
Evasco said the NFA would also shift from government-to-government transaction to government-to-private importation”•a move that is more competitive, least corrupt and transparent.
Instead of limiting the bidders to government counterparts, private suppliers from participating countries may now be allowed to participate in the bidding, making the whole process comply with the Government Procurement Reform Act.
“We have to make drastic changes in order to ensure a corrupt free and competitive bidding process at the NFA. Hence, instead of doing a G2G, the council will push for a G2P to increase accountability and transparency. While the G2G is exempt from the Government Procurement Reform Act, G2P is not,” said Evasco.
The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council requires NFA to maintain a rice buffer stock good to last for 15 days at any given time and for 30 days at the onset of the lean months. At present, the country’s daily consumption rate requirement is 32,720 metric tons or 654,600 bags.
Ablaza said that currently, the NFA’s rice stock would only last for eight days.
The lean months refer to a period of low or zero harvest, thus buffer stock requirement is doubled to ensure that the government has enough to supply the needs of calamity victims.
NFA rice stocks are prepositioned from surplus to deficit and calamity prone areas within two months prior on the onset of the lean months.
“We re hoping that the council will meet soon. Most likely the importation from the MAV will arrive first because that is easier. The G2P requires bidding. We need to follow RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Act,” Ablaza said.