Rice stocks enough for 75 days

The country's milled rice stocks stood at 2.63 million metric tons (MT) as of January, enough for 75 days and 2.3 percent higher than a year earlier, latest data showed. Stocks in National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses were good for 28 days, while those in commercial warehouses would last for 13 days. Household stocks, meanwhile, were good for 34 days. Household rice stocks went down by 5.7 percent from a year earlier, while NFA stocks, almost two-thirds of which were imported, were more than a tenth higher. Stocks in commercial warehouses also grew by 4.3 percent. Palay or paddy rice production in 2009 dropped by 3.31 percent to 16.26 million MT due to storms Ondoy and Pepeng. For January to June, palay output may reach 7.25 million MT, 1.72 percent lower than a year earlier due to the contraction in harvest areas in Western Visayas, Cagayan Valley and the Caraga region as a result of insufficient rain, the late release of irrigation water and the dry spell. Meanwhile, corn stock as of January reached 254,400 metric tons, more than a quarter higher than a year earlier. Household corn stocks went down by almost a fifth, while commercial stocks slid by 16.8 percent. Of the total stocks, a quarter were with households, 39 percent in commercial warehouses, and 36 percent in government depositories. — GMANews.TV