Bikol Imported 3.3 Million Bags of Rice for 2010

LEGAZPI CITY (13 Aug) -- ABOUT 3.3 million bags of imported rice mostly from Vietnam have been delivered to the National Food Authority (NFA) in Bikol, with the last batches of deliveries unloaded at Tabaco Port May 11 and 18 this year.

NFA Assistant Regional Director for Administration, Angie Bergonia, revealed that there are no pending deliveries for imported rice in Bikol after its completion of delivery last May.

Bergonia said that compared to imported rice delivery in 2009, Bikol had an increase in volume of delivery from 2.6 million bags to 3.3 Million bags for 2010.

Reportedly, the region has an NFA intervention in rice supplies during lean months at a projected 641,000 bags of rice; the island provinces of Masbate and Catanduanes recorded deficits in their projected supplies for 2010.

Based on the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, rice production for 2010 in Bikol will reach as much as 13.1 million bags of rice mostly procured by the grains industry sector; the region is estimated, however, to have a deficit of 3.9 million based on its daily rice consumption.

The NFA official noted that under the Aquino administration, there will be a cut-down on importation while prioritizing the procurement of local rice production will be made.

Bergonia added that for 2010, procurement target for Bikol is set at a volume of 1.4 million bags of palay drawn mostly from the granary towns of Camarines Sur and Albay.

Since August this year, NFA had procured about 62.04% of the procurement target with NFA warehouses now having 868,545 bags of procured palay from local farmers.