Local officials have recommended a state of calamity to be declared over Zamboanga City in Philippines due to a rice shortage. Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said on Tuesday that the shortage have pushed the staple's price as high as P70 per kilo from P50. This comes first in the villages of Manalipa and Pamucutan, based on the report of City Agriculture Office.
The Mayor said that Zamboanga City needs 180,000 sacks of rice to have a 3-month buffer stock. It has received only 40,000 to 50,000 sacks of the government-subsidized staple from the National Food Authority (NFA). The retail prices for rice range from 23 to 32 pesos per kilogram according to The National Food Authority's (NFA).
Due to a recent fire at Jolo town in Sulu province, jasmine rice grown there was distributed to residents before it was shipped to Zamboanga, one of the reasons for the scarcity, said the Mayor. She said that another reason is because of the “closure of the Malaysian border,” through which rice is traded, as well as the lean months for harvesting palay.
Although the city have received 40,000 bags of rice from the NFA, it might not be enough to feed almost a million residents. Councilor Josephine Pareja said the resolution on the calamity state also required an investigation of reports that the city’s rice supplies were being hoarded.
The Mayor said that she ordered an inspection of warehouses to ensure that traders are not hoarding rice.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com, philstar.com, cnnphilippines.com