CAMIGUIN (PIA)–To satisfy the crucial rice requirements of local government units (LGUs), the National Food Authority (NFA)-Camiguin boosted its buffer stocks by having the Regional Bids and Award Committee resort to bidding under emergency procurement.
Such enabled trucking/hauling services to timely disperse NFA rice from NFA Misamis Oriental to Camiguin.
The trucking service provider started delivering April 25. As of date, out of the total contracted quantity of 10,000 bags, 2,550 have been received by NFA Camiguin. The transfer is expected to be completed by June 2020.
Conversely, NFA Camiguin does not have its own palay reserve since the island is not a rice producing area unlike Bukidnon which contributes about 80 percent of NFA Northern Mindanao’s regional palay buffer stocks inventory. Said palay are eventually milled to rice; then, proportionally distributed by NFA Regional Office to its reliant provinces like Camiguin.
When need arises, NFA provincial offices allot milled rice to purchasing LGUs or government agencies which then do the distribution. As of May 5, NFA Camiguin’s COVID-19 related rice releases to LGUs which started March 20 total to 4,801 bags.
Under the Rice Tariffication Law, NFA’s function is trimmed to buffer stocking which means maintaining an optimum level of inventory at all times, to be sourced from local farmers, in preparation for emergency situations and calamities like the pandemic, coronavirus disease (COVID)-19. (NFA Camiguin/PIA10)
