DA TO TAP 2,500 RETAIL OUTLETS TO SELL NFA RICE
MANILA, MAY 1, 2008 (STAR) By Marianne Go - The Department of Agriculture (DA) will tap more than 2,500 retail outlets in Metro Manila next month to distribute and sell state-subsidized rice to an initial 400,000 families.In a report to President Arroyo and the Cabinet, DA Secretary Arthur Yap said the National Food Authority is fielding 400 rolling stores; 146 Tindahan sa Parokya operated by religious groups; 1,390 Tindahan Natin outlets; 324 Institutionalized Bigasan ni Gloria sa Palengke (IBGPs) supervised by NFA; 242 outlets operated by local government units (LGUs), and nine NFA stationary stalls for the pro-poor rice distribution and selling effort.
From the existing 1,125 outlets, Yap said “the DA will add another 1,386 stores and selling points in Metro Manila for cheap NFA rice to help ensure that the affordably priced staple reaches the most vulnerable sectors.”
Yap reported that aside from the existing 72 rolling stores, the NFA will deploy an additional 328 units by May 31.
Religious groups will add 115 more to the existing Tindahan sa Parokya, Yap said.
The NFA will also open 500 IBGPs, while LGUs will put up 250 rice-selling outlets, he added.
Community-based outlets such as the Tindahan sa Parokya, Tindahan Natin and LGU outlets and rolling stores will get a total allocation of 99 50-kilogram bags of rice per day, which will be distributed and sold to an estimated 212,210 families.
Market-based outlets such as NFA-supervised IBGPs will get 28 bags per day, which are expected to benefit another 140,000 families, Yap elaborated, while the rest of the selling areas such as NFA outlets, bus and jeepney terminals and MRT and LRT stations will target an estimated 47,790 more families.
Yap said this “targeted subsidy” approach will ensure that cheap rice sold at P18.25 per kilo reaches the intended beneficiaries, the poorest of the poor.
The NFA will also sell higher-quality well-milled rice varieties at P25 per kilo to help pull down the cost of commercial rice in the market and help middle-income earners cope with rising food prices.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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