The National Food Authority (NFA) 10 (Northern Mindanao) reported Tuesday that it has distributed 32,400 sacks of well-milled rice in the region since January under the government’s PHP20 per kg. rice program.
In an interview, NFA-10 Manager Miguel Tecson stated that the January to March 16 distribution is part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s initiative to provide affordable rice to beneficiaries across the region.
“Each redemption center accommodates an average of 400 to 500 beneficiaries daily. The province of Camiguin records the lowest number of beneficiaries at around 40 per day, owing to its smaller population,” he said.
The NFA-10 runs five redemption centers at its field offices in Barangay Tablon, Cagayan de Oro City; Ozamiz City; Lala, Lanao del Norte; Maramag, Bukidnon; and Mambajao, Camiguin province.
Tecson said Misamis Occidental has the highest allocation under the local government unit-sponsored PHP20 per kg. rice program with 15,000 bags, followed by Misamis Oriental with 10,000 bags.
Despite the ongoing distribution, Tecson said, the region still has about 280,000 bags of rice in stock. However, given an average daily consumption of about 34,000 bags, the current supply is expected to last only about eight days.
He assured that additional supplies are expected through the Food Terminal, Inc. (FTI), which will help sustain the program until the third quarter of the year. (PNA)
