Rice traders air concerns to Councilor Jakosalem
Grains traders in
Members of the Cebu Grains Traders Association said that many of them are now afraid to stock rice for fear that these may be raided by the task force that was created to monitor that there is no hoarding of rice by local traders.
This is following the recent raid of the warehouse owned by businessman Regan King where the National Bureau of Investigation seized 30,000 bags of imported rice.
The grain traders, led by their president Manuel Yu, yesterday had a closed-door meeting with Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem to express their concern on the recent development.
King called Jakosalem last Wednesday when the NBI raided his warehouse to report the alleged harassment by the agency and the Bureau of Customs because his importation was legal.
President Gloria Arroyo has already ordered for the release of the seized rice stocks.
In his meeting with the rice traders yesterday, Jakosalem said that the group had asked him to request Arroyo if she could allow the rice traders in
“Because Cebu is different, it is a non-producing area so traders here really need to stock rice especially now that it is the end of harvest season and they really need to stock rice for the lean months of June to August,” the councilor quoted the traders as saying.
“They said now is the time that they are buying rice because they are preparing for the lean months. However, due to the recent raids of warehouses, they are afraid to buy rice and stock them because they might be raided for hoarding,”
Besides, the group said that they need to stock rice now because
The traders also told Jakosalem that if the raids continue and they could not buy rice and bulk and stock them real rice crisis would happen in
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