MANILA, Philippines – The National Food Authority inaugurated its newly-refurbished warehouse in Capiz to ensure food security in the province.
“NFA warehouses are not just structures that store our rice stock inventory. These are lifesavers that hold our lifeline, our collective food, especially in times of calamities and emergencies. They are the core of our country’s food security,” NFA Administrator Renan B. Dalisay said.
Originally constructed in December 1982, the 100,000-cavan Bolo warehouse was one of the properties of NFA that was damaged by Typhoon Yolanda.
Funding for the rehabilitation came from both the agency and donation of the United Nations-World Food Programme amounting to around P8 million.
The reconstruction started last March and was completed in September.
It was installed with LED lighting to help ensure a more efficient and functional operation of the agency.
According to the NFA, the entire country is currently food-secure with 29 days to last or around 900,000 metric tons of rice stocks prepositioned in all provinces.
Western Visayas has a daily rice consumption requirement of roughly 60,000 bags of rice and is food-secure with current rice stock inventory of 19 days to last.
“This is proof of our continuing efforts to make sure the rice of the people and for the people is taken care of and stored strategically and in good condition,” Dalisay said.
NFA rice is still the lowest priced rice in the market at P27 and P32 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, the management of NFA has warned its officials, employees and stakeholders nationwide against a certain individual or individuals posing as the agency’s administrator and soliciting money.
The poseur/s had allegedly been calling rice importers and cooperatives, and introducing himself/themselves as NFA administrator Dalisay.
It was reported that on three occasions, the fake NFA administrator succeeded in collecting money from his unsuspecting victims through courier services.
Dalisay received a report from three mayors of Isabela province regarding a similar incident.
He has called on NFA personnel and stakeholders to exert all efforts to catch and arrest his poseur/s and cohorts. “We cannot allow them to destroy the good name and reputation of our agency,” he said.
NFA deputy administrator Tomas Escarez has also instructed all NFA officials and employees to conduct an intensive information drive among their respective stakeholders and to “refrain from transacting any business or honoring any call or calls from anybody presenting himself as the NFA administrator.”