As National Food Authority (NFA) supply runs out, President Rodrigo Duterte met with the big rice traders to ask them to help the government by selling cheaper newly-milled rice.
According to the post of Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Manny Piñol, the rice traders after meeting President Duterte in a forum in Malacañang that they “will flood Metro Manila markets with newly-milled local rice to be sold at P39 per kilo.”
They told President Rodrigo Duterte that 100,000 bags of well-milled rice will be the first delivery to National Food Authority which in turn will distribute the rice at P38 per kilo to its outlets in Metro Manila until the imports arrive.
Pinol said that the “rice outlets will sell rice at P39 per kilo for a profit of P50 per bag.”
“I know that you are all businessmen and that you have to make a profit but I am appealing to you not to overprice or hoard rice,” Pres. Duterte told the rice traders according to Pinol.
Piñol also said that the NFA council led by Cabinet Sec. Leoncio Evasco Jr and administrated by former Jason Aquino, a former Scout Ranger who is also NFA administrator has been abolished by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte abolished the NFA council after the reports that the NFA was short on supply of government-subsidized rice.
