The province of Oriental Mindoro is prepared to augment the supply of rice to the Visayas region in support of the national government’s initiative to implement the ₱20 per kilo rice program.
National Food Authority (NFA) Oriental Mindoro Acting Branch Manager Dennis N. Mejico, in an interview with Philippine Information Agency, affirmed the province’s readiness to contribute to the program by sending rice to areas experiencing shortages.
“We have excess stocks dito. Pwede po tayong magpadala ng bigas sa mga areas na kulang ang bigas. Normal na po ito sa Oriental Mindoro. Nagpapadala po tayo ng stocks within the region and even to other regions,” Mejico said.
He added that this is part of NFA Oriental Mindoro’s regular marketing plan which aims to maintain the stability of rice supply and procurement operations in the province.
“Malaking tulong ito kasi sa procurement namin. Ang warehouse namin ngayon ay full capacity na rin. Kapag nakapaglabas tayo ng stocks, makakapamili ulit kami ng palay. It is a win-win situation para sa farmers at consumers natin,” he emphasized.
Based on the latest data from NFA Oriental Mindoro, the province currently maintains 288,000 bags of palay and 21,000 bags of rice. Milling operations are ongoing through contracts with milling service providers located in the municipalities of Socorro and Calapan City.
Mejico further explained that the province’s current stockpile can sustain the rice needs of Oriental Mindoro for up to 29 days, which is significantly higher than the required 15-day buffer stock under the Rice Tariffication Law. The 15-day buffer stock is equivalent to 105,000 bags.
“Sa kasalukuyan, may 29 days to last tayo. Ibig sabihin, kung sakaling may disaster o calamity, kaya po nating pakainin ang Oriental Mindoro within 29 days. Ang requirement po under Rice Tariffication Law ay 15 days buffer stock. More than po tayo doon ngayon,” he said.
In terms of logistics, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) Mindoro assured the availability and operational readiness of its facilities to support the transport of rice to the Visayas region.
PPA Mindoro Media Relations Officer Niko Acedera confirmed that the ports of Roxas and Bulalacao are ready to serve as gateways for the distribution of rice.
“Handa po ang ating mga pantalan sa Roxas at Bulalacao upang magserbisyo sa pagpapadala ng bigas. Operational ang mga ports at kaya pong mag-accommodate ng shipments,” Acedera said.
Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has instructed the NFA to begin repositioning rice stocks to the Visayas in preparation for the launch of the ₱20-per-kilo rice program.
“It will take several weeks to transfer tens, even hundreds of thousands of 50-kilo bags of rice from NFA warehouses, particularly from Mindoro, to various parts of the Visayas,” said Tiu Laurel, who also chairs the NFA Council.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson noted the need to move rice from Mindoro to supplement areas with limited rice production, such as Cebu, Negros Island, Samar, and Leyte.
“The additional stocks for the Visayas will mainly come from Mindoro Island, where the NFA inventory exceeds 830,000 bags of rice,” Lacson said. He explained that transferring 40,000 sacks of rice from Mindoro to Cebu, for example, could take up to a month. (JJGS/PIA MIMAROPA-Oriental Mindoro)
