No fake or synthetic rice in Mt. Province - NFA

By Andrew Doga-ong

BONTOC, Mountain Province pp There   is  no fake or synthetic rice sold in rice outlets or stores in the province, the National Food Authority (NFA) said here.

NFA provincial manager Bobby Quintin told the Provincial Peace and Order Council the local NFA office has not found fake or synthetic rice being sold by rice retailers or stores in the province.

Quintin said they conducted inspection of the rice outlets in municipalities following reported presence of the controversial rice in Davao City.

The synthetic rice, said to be manufactured in China, is made from potatoes and sweet potatoes and laced with resin.

Earlier, health authorities said continuous eating of the synthetic rice may cause harm to the body as this contains contaminant which is a non-food grade substance.

In an earlier interview at the Radio ng Bayan – Bontoc, Quintin discussed the NFA prepared tips for rice consumers as guide to determine if what they are buying is  synthetic rice or not.

PPOC chairman Gov. Leonard Mayaen directed the NFA manager to have the rice consumer tips reproduced and distributed to safeguard the health of the local populace.

NFA officials urged the public to help monitor and report to the authorities or to the grains office if they observe the presence of this synthetic rice in their localities.

Meanwhile, Quintin assured supply and prices of the basic staple in the province are  stable.

He said latest inventory of the total rice stocks in the province is 28,294 bags at 50 kilos per bag which could last for 20 days. He added that NFA is maintaining 10,000 bags buffer stocks monthly for the province at the NFA warehouse in Nueva Vizcaya which are being transported daily to Mt. Province to replace whatever stocks sold to the rice consumers.

Quintin said prices of commercial rice range from P35 – P42 while NFA rice are sold at P27 per kilo for rice with 25 percent brokens and P32 pesos for 15 percent brokens. NFA rice retailers outside Bontoc can add the reasonable transport fares to the NFA mandated prices.