The government’s rice stock has gone precariously low as a result of the recent typhoons that destroyed farms, according to the National Food Authority.
But the NFA was quick to point out that there was no cause for alarm as it was all set to bring in 250,000 metric tons of the staple grain to augment rice supply. The food agency did not say where the rice import would be sourced.
“It’s true NFA stocks are low right now not just because of the recent typhoons,” NFA spokesman Becky Olarte said in a statement.
NFA also released about 140k bags of rice for the Marawi victims, Olarte added.
The food agency unloaded 636,666 rice bags to victims of calamities and the Marawi siege from January to Dec. 31, 2017.
Last year, rice assistance in several areas devastated by tropical cyclones ‘‘Urduja’’ and ‘‘Vinta’’ were given to families displaced by the typhoons.
NFA assured the public that it has “enough stock to respond to any need for relief of calamity victims and to distribute through accredited retailers to give consumers alternative source of good quality but low-priced rice.”