Limited stocks of NFA rice failed to bring down cost of commercial rice, spokesman says

Cheap rice imported by the National Food Authority has started arriving since June but has yet to lower the cost of commercial rice in the market.

NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez said the supply of NFA rice remained unpredictable as bad weather hampered the unloading of the cheap grains from the barges that brought them in.

“Patuloy naman po yung ating unloading. Base nga lang doon sa ating di magandang panahon, naantala unloading natin kaya ang ating pagdala sa mga pamilihang bayan naatraso," Estoperez said.

Estoperez said the limited supply of NFA rice in the market failed to cause the expected drop in the prices of commercial rice.

“'Yung Commercial rice natin, nag-stabilize siya doon sa presyo... pero hindi natin nahila pababa dahil nga doon sa limitado ang ating stocks," Estoperez said.

NFA rice will again be unloaded from barges then transported immediately to warehouses, when the weather improves.

Estoperez expects the high price of commercial rice to go down once there is a steady supply of NFA rice in the markets.

“We are waiting na sana 'pag maayos na panahon natin mailabas natin yun ati g mga bigas at least mas malaki yun influence nito sa presyo doon sa ating mga merkado," Estoperez said.

The Department of Agriculture has imposed a P39-per-kilo suggested retail price on regular well milled rice the price of commercial rice usually. —NB, GMA News