MANILA – The National Food Authority does not sell rice with bukbok, or weevils, the agency clarified on Thursday.
Reports that NFA’s imported rice being sold in the markets is filled with bukbok caused panic among consumers, the agency said in a press release.
“The infested stocks are not yet NFA-owned,” Administrator Jason Aquino said. “In fact, the NFA technical personnel inspecting the imported rice deliveries blocked the delivery of the infested stocks to the agency’s designated warehouse in Legaspi City.”
Infested stocks will be fumigated – the supplier will handle the cost – and will be subject to standard inspection and evaluation by the NFA’s technical experts.
“Quality specifications stipulated in the contract” will be used as basis on whether or not the NFA will finally accept the stocks.
Fumigation “is a natural process of arresting grain infestation,” the NFA said. “It is a standard protocol of good warehouse-keeping.”
According to the agency, “a mere 0.02 percent” of the total volume of the imported deliveries was infested.
“As explained by experts on grain infestation, bukbok is a naturally occurring pest in rice, corn and palay stocks,” said the NFA.
“It is considered a cosmopolitan pest (present worldwide) and is transported across countries via trade,” the agency added. “It is different from quarantine pests, which are dangerous to human health and blocked/banned by countries across the globe.”
Rice with bukbok is “safe” since the pest can be “washed away and separated from the grains before cooking,” it added.
Moreover the NFA assured that “only good quality stocks fit for human consumption” come out of its warehouses for sale in the markets. (PNA)
