NFA: Rice prices, supply stable in provinces hit by 'Basyang'

Rice prices and supply in Luzon provinces hit hard by Typhoon Basyang (Conson) have remained stable, the National Food Authority said Thursday. The situation is mainly due to advance preparations and continuous monitoring of rice prices and supply, NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez claimed. "Ang ating paghahanda ay palaging advance. Na-monitor natin ang bagyong Basyang. Maraming bigas sa market at hindi gumagalaw ang presyo (We have always had advance preparations. We had monitored Basyang and checked on rice prices and supply, and these have remained stable)," Estoperez said in an interview on dzRH radio. He said rice withdrawals from Basyang-hit provinces have been low. In Batangas, the only withdrawal was 33 bags. In Cavite, only 500 bags out of the "authorized" 2,500 were withdrawn, Estoperez said, adding that very few bags were taken out in Aurora province. On the other hand, Estoperez said rice supply has been prepositioned in NFA warehouses in preparation for the onslaught of cyclones in the fourth quarter. "Sa fourth quarter, mabigat ang pagbisita typhoons… (We expect typhoons to visit in the fourth quarter)," he said. According to him, NFA has a present inventory of two million metric tons of rice in its warehouses nationwide, excluding the around 3.5 million metric tons in household and commercial rice stocks. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV