The National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental is expected to get an initial allocation of 80,000 bags of rice from Vietnam by June 10.

NFA-Negros Occidental Provincial Manager Frisco Canoy said his office received a notice from NFA central office that the vessel started loading the rice supply on Wednesday.

The loading of the 80,000-bag allocation will take about five days, he said, adding that a five-day travel period will also be included in the schedule.

Canoy said that once the rice supply is unloaded to the warehouses in the province, they will start the distribution to accredited local NFA rice retailers.

The NFA has four warehouses in Negros Occidental, including those in San Carlos City, Ilog town, and NFA-Negros Occidental compound and Bredco port, both in Bacolod City.

These storage facilities, which have been empty for a while, are ready to accommodate new buffer stocks, Canoy said.

He added that Negros Occidental may have an additional buffer allocation of 80,000 bags under the second tranche, possibly in July, subject to final approval of the NFA.

Canoy said Negros Occidental is now one of the disport (discharge port) provinces in the Visayas for the arrival of imported rice from Vietnam.

Previously, the vessel does directly unload rice imports to the province, and the allocations for Negros Occidental came from either Cebu or Iloilo.

Other disport areas in the Visayas include Iloilo for Western Visayas; Cebu for Central Visayas, and Tacloban or Eastern Visayas. (PNA)