Alcala scolds NFA on rice import numbers

The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday told the National Food Authority to stop announcing unconfirmed rice importation figures, saying it sends the wrong signals to the global market. In a chance interview with reporters AT the NFA office in Quezon City, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said he asked NFA Administrator Lito Banayo “not to announce additional rice importation figures, as “…these things should be discussed and confirmed first with the NFA council." He himself exercises control when saying “anything that has to do with importation," the Agriculture chief added. Banayo earlier said the country will reach its comfort zone in terms of food security for the year if government can bring in up to 300,000 metric tons of the staple on top of the 660,000 MT previously auctioned off to private importers and the 200,000 MT bought under a negotiated sale with Vietnam. Banayo admitted that his announcements on additional volume were a personal assessment and does not reflect the views of the NFA and the national government, according to Alcala. The NFA administrator also told reporters last week that the figures he cited were his own estimate. Despite a standing authorization to import 1.3 million MT, Alcala said that rice imports for the year will not exceed 860,000 MT because of the robust palay output expected from January to June. "I'm quite positive that farm output will be positive, and that crops will push agricultural growth up. It seems that all subsectors will post positive output," he said. The Agriculture Department is still double-checking the figures and will announce by the second week of May the first quarter farm output, he added. Meanwhile, the NFA on Tuesday said it will rebid the 205,152 MT in rice import allocations for the private sector that it decided not to award because some documents submitted by 10 of the bidders were not in order. The volume was part of the 600,000 MT auctioned off in March. "We will be publishing a bid bulletin next week. We feel that we have to rebid the volume, to fill up the allocated portion given to the private sector," Banayo said. Forty-two importers have so far received the authority to bring in 438,022 MT, according to the NFA. — VS, GMA News