PALAY STOCKS. Procured palay (unhusked rice) stocked in one of the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses in Negros Occidental. The milled rice will be used by the NFA to supply the rice requirements of 118,376 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the province. (Photo courtesy of NFA-Negros Occidental)
BACOLOD CITY -- The National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental has started milling rice to be supplied to 118,376 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the province, an official said on Tuesday.
“We’re just waiting for the guidelines from the central office so we can start supplying the 4Ps beneficiaries,” NFA provincial manager Frisco Canoy said.
The distribution of actual rice instead of cash for the rice subsidy component of the program is implemented through the collaboration of the NFA, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Under the program, the NFA will supply 20 kilograms of “quality” rice to all 4Ps beneficiaries in Negros Occidental every month, which translates to a monthly requirement of 47,350 bags or almost 2.4 million kilograms.
Canoy said the program will help rice farmers as it will provide a sure market for their produce.
“Local farmers will be encouraged to plant and sell their produce to the NFA because there’s already a buyer,” he added.
Western Visayas is one of the six pilot-regions of the program.
During the implementation, the PHP600 monthly rice subsidy for each 4Ps beneficiary will be downloaded to the NFA and will no longer be included in the cash transfer through the bank’s automated teller machine (ATM).
The program is expected to start this month, but NFA-Negros Occidental has yet to receive the final guidelines on distribution, storage, among others.
Canoy said storage can be a problem given such a huge volume of rice needed.
In southern city of Kabankalan, for instance, there is no available warehouse that can accommodate its requirement of about 3,000 bags.
Under the joint agreement, 4Ps beneficiaries will be provided with rice which costs PHP30 per kilo.
“The market retail price of NFA rice is only PHP27 per kilogram so the excess might cover the delivery and storage costs although we don’t know yet,” Canoy said.
He added that local government units (LGUs) can also establish warehouses and the NFA might hire job order workers since they have no logistical and employee component for the new program.
Canoy said if the milling of the procured palay (unhusked rice) will not be in full swing yet, the NFA’s existing import buffer stocks can be utilized for the 4Ps requirement.
“Existing stocks might be released first since our target is to zero-out the stocks subject to reconditioning before issuing to ensure good quality," he added. (PNA)
