(Kahit sa lean months – DA) SUPLAY NG BIGAS SAPAT

KUMPIYANSA ang Department of Agriculture (DA) na magiging sapat ang suplay ng bigas sa bansa kahit sa lean months na July hanggang September.

“If we are going into the lean months and we have a good buffer of about 60 days plus the production during that period and then import arrivals so I think we are confident that we will have a good supply for the lean months,” pahayag ni DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian sa The Source ng CNN Philippines.

Nauna rito ay nagbabala ang mga agricultural group sa napipintong rice crisis dahil sa El Niño phenomenon ngayong taon, na tinatayang magsisimula sa susunod na buwan.

Ayon kay Sebastian, sa kasalukuyan ay nakapagtala na ang DA ng 1.48 million metric tons (MT) ng imported rice at carryover stock mula noong nakaraang taon na 1.8 million MT.

Inaasahan din ng ahensiya ang 5.7 million MT na total local harvest mula January hanggang June.

“Malaki ‘yung ating projected na supply for the first six months, and we are expecting we will have at least remaining stock by end of June that will be good for about two months,” paliwanag niya.