DA: Rollout of rice under food security emergency will be next week

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Monday that the release of rice stocks to local government units would begin by next week following the declaration of the food security emergency.

''Sa ngayon, maraming LGUs ang nagsignify ng intent but lumalabas kasi sa procedure, may documentation na kailangang gawin. Hopefully matapos lahat ng documentation between FTI, NFA to FTI, FTI to LGU and by next week maro-roll out na hopefully 'yan,'' Tiu Laurel said at a Palace press briefing.

(Right now, a lot of LGUs have signified their intent but there's a procedure and documentation that must be followed. Hopefully this documentation will be done and by next week we could roll this out.)

Asked how many localities are on the list, Tiu Laurel said the number is ''more than 50 LGUs.''

''It's all over the country, of course all NCR, ang maguumpisa dito sa Metro Manila, San Juan then Navotas, Iloilo is on the list,'' Tiu Laurel said.

To recall, Tiu Laurel declared a food security emergency on rice based on the recommendations from the National Price Coordinating Council.

He said the emergency declaration would allow the release of rice buffer stocks held by the National Food Authority (NFA) to stabilize prices and ensure that rice, a staple food for millions of Filipinos, remains accessible to consumers

The stocks will be released through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), and will then be sold to the public at a price of P35 per kilo, among the cheapest available, as the government seeks to lower prices of rice to levels seen prior to the spike recorded in June and July 2023. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News