The National Food Authority will continue to sell regular-milled rice at P27/kilogram and well-milled rice at P32/kg as part of its food security and stabilization functions.
This is the assurance of NFA management in the wake of reports misquoting NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez as saying that the agency will stop selling the P27/kg variety and focus on selling only the P32/kg variety.
“In the midst of confusing issues about the supply and prices of rice in our country today, we would like to assure the public, especially the 10-million Filipinos regularly consuming NFA rice, that we are doing our best to maintain our P27/kg and P32/kg rice in the market,” NFA administrator Jason Aquino said.
In an interview aired over radio and television, Mr. Estoperez was merely reacting to a discussion about rice prices where he said if the price of commercial rice will be set too high, say at P38/kg, the NFA’s P27/kg will be distortive. It will also mean a big cost of subsidy, thus only the P32/kg variety will be more feasible if economic managers will continue to view NFA’s services as a loss, a social cost to the government. It was his personal opinion.
Aquino reiterated that NFA has no plans of increasing its rice selling price or removing its lower-priced rice in the market. It is, after all, a decision that will pass through the NFA Council.
“Our P27/kg and P32/kg rice will be back in the markets as soon as supply is available. We will continue to serve NFA’s mandate of ensuring national food security and price and supply stabilization for as long as no law is passed to change it,” Aquino stressed.