“Dati pa rin ang presyo ng bigas pero sabi ng supplier wala nang mabiling palay kaya kaunti na lang nadadala nila,” Leonila Alonzo, a rice retailer at the Balanga City public market said.
She said that they got their rice supply which will last until June from Nueva Ecija and Isabela. “Magtatag-ulan na kaya lalong magkakahirapan sa supply,” Alonzo said.
Maribeth Magcaling, NFA provincial operations officer, said they just inspected public markets in Bataan. “Presyo ng bigas OK pa, walang pagbabago: meaning, medyo stabilize pa presyo ng commercial rice,” she said.
“Hindi tumataas, hindi nagbabago presyo ng commercial rice pero in the coming days, we will see the effect of low inventory of NFA stock,” she said.
Magcaling said Bataan NFA has only a stock as of May 10 some 7,300 bags of rice. “Stock ito noong 2016 pa sapagka’t wala nang dumating dahil hinihintay pa disisyon kung magkakaroon ng rice importation,” she said.
She said there are also low NFA inventory in other provinces in Region 3 so supply transfer from other areas are being undertaken.
She said there is an ongoing unloading of 40,000 bags of rice at a port in Mariveles town with 4,000 bags intended for Bataan and the rest to be distributed to other Central Luzon provinces.
This is part of the supply transfer of 100,000 bags of rice from Bacolod City that has still sufficient stock.
