NFA rice to be sold in Cebu supermarkets soon if …

NFA rice will soon be sold in supermarkets in Cebu such as the Metro Retail stores and the Prince Warehouse Club outlets.

This will happen if they will be accredited by the National Food Authority as distributors of the cheaper NFA rice.

A development made possible after the NFA signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and members of the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association, Inc. (Pagasa) for them to sell NFA rice.

NFA-7 head Ferdinand Nuñez confirmed this in an interview on Thursday and that supermarkets had already shown interest on selling NFA rice.

“We have already set the requirements for supermarkets, for their licensing, so they could be accredited to sell NFA rice,” said Nuñez in Cebuano.

Nuñez said that this development would be expected to stabilize the prices of commercial rice.

NFA-7 Information Officer Olma Marie Bayno said that commercial markets like Prince Warehouse and Metro Retail stores had already showed their interest to be a distributor.

Bayno, however, said that they had yet to formally file for accreditation.

However, only supermarkets which are members of Pagasa can be accredited to be a distributor.

In another development, Director Asteria Caberte of DTI in Central Visayas (DTI-7) said on Thursday that they had also been coordinating with importers, who had access to retailers so more could distribute imported rice, which might help to decrease inflation.

“We call this the ‘unimpeded importation,’ walay limit, so ma flooded gyud ato market (with rice),” said Caberte.

Different agencies have also submitted price monitoring schemes during the second price coordinating council meeting yesterday (Thursday).

Caberte said that the Price Coordinating Council (PCC) would hold monthly meeting to regularly monitor prices and have basis for implementing a price freeze such as the case with the landslide incident in Naga City.

“We have a very good attendance (yesterday), we have the regional directors of all implementing agencies under the Price Act,” said Caberte about the PCC meeting on Thursday.