NFA rice available starting today

Starting today, consumers can now avail of cheap rice from the National Food Authority in Central Visayas (NFA-7).

NFA rice is sold at P32 per kilo with 15 percent broken grains and P27 per kilo for rice with 25 percent broken grains. Only a maximum of five kilos per purchase is allowed.

Rice is available at NFA's provincial office in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

NFA-7 Information Officer Olma Marie Bayno said 500 priority cards will be distributed to consumers prior to rice selling, which will begin at 10 a.m.

"This is a first come, first serve basis. Unya 500 priority cards among ihatag and tag five kilos at a maximum per customer ang among mahatag," said Bayno.

Next week, Bayno said NFA rice will already be available in accredited stores in the region.

NFA has close to 1,900 accredited retailers in Central Visayas.

The government procured 25,000-MT rice imports or a total of 500,000 bags from Vietnam and Thailand as its allocation for the region.

Three vessels have already arrived in Cebu International Port since June 17 and NFA has since unloaded a total of 360,000 bags of rice.

The agency has yet to unload the remaining 140,000 bags from the Cebu port to be housed in its warehouses across the region.

In February, NFA has stopped allocating rice to its retailers owing to the nonimportation of rice nationwide.

This forced its patronizers to avail of the more expensive commercial rice.

The shortage of NFA rice resulted in the increase of commercial rice prices from P1 to P3 per kilo.