Rice with ‘bukbok’ cleared for sale

The National Food Authority will release to the market nearly 200,000 bags of imported rice infested with bukbok or weevils following fumigation, an NFA official said yesterday.

The NFA said unloading of rice imported from Thailand resumed at the Tabaco port in Albay after the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) declared the grains cleared of weevils and safe for human consumption.

The BPI issued the clearance after conducting fumigation and sensory evaluation of the rice samples.

The rice shipment was subjected to a 12-day fumigation process after the grains agency discovered that 177,000 of the 200,000 bags allocated for Bicol region were infested with weevils.

The Thai rice arrived at the Port of Tabaco on Aug. 17.

NFA administrator Jason Aquino said 59,308 bags of rice were delivered to the agency’s warehouses in Bicol.

The release of NFArice slowed down due to bad weather.

Aquino said the government did not spend a single centavo for the treatment of the weevil- infested rice.

“The supplier shouldered the cost of the fumigation. As stipulated in the contract, the rice stocks would only be considered government owned once these are delivered to the NFA warehouses and there is final acceptance based on quality specifications,” Aquino said.

According to the NFA, the 132,400 bags of rice aboard MV Gazi docked in Subic Bay Freeport were also found to be infested with weevils are still undergoing fumigation.

The rice stocks are expected to be cleared for release by the BPI on Sept. 10.

“We are working double time to fast-track the unloading and delivery of rice to ensure the uninterrupted supply of the low-priced NFA rice in the market to help poor consumers cope with the rising cost of basic commodities,” Aquino said.