The National Food Authority Council on Wednesday approved the importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice through private suppliers to boost the country’s buffer stock for the lean season.
“The NFAC approved the importation of 250,000 metric tons through open tender,” NFA spokesperson Marietta Ablaza told Manila Standard.
“The import committee will still meet for the approval of the terms of reference of the bidding of the said quantity,” Abalaza said.
Ablaza said the ToR would be presented to the NFA Council for approval and publication.
Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco earlier said the council approved the rice importation by NFA via government-to-private scheme to augment the agency’s buffer stock in the lean months of July to September.
Evasco said the NFA was shifting from government-to-government importation to government-to-private shipments because the latter would be more competitive, less corrupt and transparent.
Instead of limiting the bidders to government counterparts, private suppliers from participating countries may now be allowed to participate in the bidding, making the whole process covered by the Government Procurement Reform Act, unlike the G2G scheme.
“We have to make drastic changes in order to ensure a corrupt free and competitive bidding process at the NFA. Hence instead of doing a G2G, the council will push for a G2P to increase accountability and transparency. While the G2G is exempt from the Government Procurement Reform Act, G2P is not,” said Evasco.
The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council requires the NFA to maintain a rice buffer stock that is good to last for 15 days at any given time and for 30 days at the onset of the lean months. At present, the country’s daily consumption rate requirement is 32,720 metric tons or 654,600 bags.
The lean months is a period of low or zero harvest, thus buffer stock requirement is doubled to ensure that the government has enough to supply the needs of calamity victims anywhere across the country.
NFA rice stocks are prepositioned from surplus to deficit at calamity prone areas within two months prior on the onset of the lean months.