PAFMIL assures public of stable supply of flour-based products

MANILA, Philippines — There is enough inventory of flour for flour-based products, particularly bread and noodles, as demand for the commodities is expected to increase amid the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

The Philippine Association of Flour Millers (PAFMIL) has given assurance that the country has sufficient supply of flour and that the raw materials continue to be delivered to bakeries, food manufacturers, noodle makers and flour dealers and retailers all over Luzon.

In an email, PAFMIL executive director Ric Pinca said that the Department of Trade and Industry and the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has ensured the unhampered flow of food and medical and health products.

“While there were initial difficulties on product movement due to the long queues of delivery trucks at the various checkpoints on the main roads leading to areas outside Metro Manila, the situation has eased up and deliveries have since been unhampered,” Pinca said.

“The local flour milling industry assures the country of enough supply of flour in the coming months and that our consumers will continue to enjoy their freshly baked pandesal, loaf bread, noodles and other bakery products throughout the quarantine period and beyond,” he said.

The Philippines has 22 flour mills scattered all over the country producing 83 million bags of flour annually or nearly seven million bags of flour per month.

Some 70 percent of production is hard flour which is used to produce, loaf bread and other bakery products, while 30 percent goes to the pastry, noodle and cake market.

The industry imports 95 percent of its wheat, the main raw material for flour from the US while the remaining requirement is sourced from Canada and Australia.

This year, the Philippines is seen importing some 7.3 million metric tons of wheat, 2.6 percent lower than last year’s 7.5 million MT.

PAFMIL member companies are RFM Corp. Wellington Flour Mills, Philippine Flour Mills, General Milling Corp. Liberty Flour Mills, Pilmico Foods Corp. and Universal Robina Corp.