NFA delivers 7,000+ bags of rice to 'Juan'-hit areas

The National Food Authority (NFA) on Friday said it has turned over some 7,532 bags of rice to government relief agencies and local government units affected by typhoon Juan. NFA deputy administrator Pedro Hernando Jr. said the state grains agency has delivered 3,922 bags of rice to Region I, 2,981 bags to Region II, 500 bags to the National Capital Region, and 129 bags to Oriental Mindoro in Region IV. The recipients of rice in Region I came from the provinces of Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Western Pangasinan, according to the NFA. For Region II, Isabela got 2,750 bags of rice for relief assistance, the NFA said, adding that Kalinga, Quirino, and Ifugao provinces also received rice issuances from the agency. Isabela, the country’s second top rice-producing province, was the hardest-hit area by typhoon Juan. In Region I, the NFA still has a total of 3 million bags of rice sufficient for 56 days, while in Region II, the agency has 1 million bags of rice sufficient for 28 days. “Whenever necessary, the NFA has the capability to infuse rice and augment the food security requirement of Region II," Hernando said. The country could still augment its food security inventory as the NFA intensively buys palay from other agricultural producing areas of the country such as Mindoro and Panay island, he said. The country’s food security inventory is still high at 51 days, Hernando said. Despite the typhoon, the NFA’s daily palay procurement is still high averaging 40,908 bags, he added.- JE/OMG, GMANews.TV