President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government is looking at the option of importing rice to beef up the country’s supply in the event of natural calamities, such as typhoons and the El Niño weather phenomenon.
The President said the buffer stock of the National Food Authority had been depleted due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, which hampered the operations of most of the industries. “This would leave the country with an ending balance of 1.69 MMT, which is equivalent to 45 days of buffer stock, instead of the 90-day ideal buffer stock to stabilize the price of rice,” a DA briefer said.
The President also awarded interventions amounting to P15.793 million for several farmers’ cooperatives and associations in Bulacan province. Mr. Marcos vowed to give muscle to the government initiative in providing the Filipino consumers with affordable products by putting up more Kadiwa stores nationwide.
Mr. Marcos also said the government will provide assistance to MSMEs , which account for the majority of businesses in the country and create jobs.