PILI,CAMARINES SUR – The prevailing cold weather in the South-Luzon sea-board brought by the North-East is sure to decrease palay harvest this month.
National Food Authority (NFA) rice expert and assistant manager for Camarines Sur Nora Follosco said that palay harvest this month has a high percentage of palay hulls and lesser grains as palay plantations were shaken intensely by strong winds while in fruit bearing stage last December.
The husky harvests this month has been reported in rice granary areas of Minalabac, Libmanan, Cabusao towns in the second district and in the Partido towns (4th district) of Camarines Sur.
Follosco said that even the NFA target for palay procurement for 2013 which was 600,000 bags for Camarines Sur was not reached, the local NFA branch having purchased only 270,000 bags for the last quarter of 2013.
It was also noted that with the poor harvest in the first month of 2014, commercial rice prices have moved slightly up by P 5.00 pesos in public markets this week.
Bicol NFA assistant regional director Bernardo Asetre said, that 600,000 bags of rice from Vietnam shall start arriving in Bicol in February and March this year to fill the shortage of palay harvest in Bicol last year.
The Vietnam rice will be sold by the NFA at a P 32.00 pesos / per kilo against the at P 37.00 to P 38.00 pesos/per kilo for well milled commercial rice that is being sold in local markets.
The NFA Camarines Sur branch is considered the provider and source in rice deficient areas in the Bicol region.
According to Follosco, the NFA in Cam. Sur is maintaining its buffer stocks of rice of at least 49,000 bags, in addition to some 22,000 bags of rice for its regular distribution and another 70,000 bags of palay that are to be milled this month into about 45,000 bags of rice. (SONNY SALES)