Mayor Antonio Renacia of Sibulan, Negros Oriental, has ordered the municipal agriculturist and social welfare officer of the town to conduct an inventory on the supply of NFA rice, in the wake of concerns about a possible rice crisis.

Renacia said the move is aimed at preventing hoarding of rice, and expressed concern that some NFA dealers in the town might take advantage of the situation.

He explained that the social welfare and development office is involved in the inventory because it is one of the government agencies tasked to determine the qualified NFA rice dealers in the town.

He said he wants to make sure that nobody should enrich himself at the expense of others, especially the poor.

Should there be a crisis of rice, he said, his town will be hard hit because it is not producing rice anymore. Tract of lands that had been planted to rice before have now been converted into subdivisions, he added.

Earlier, Dumaguete Mayor Agustin Perdices had also called on businessmen in the city to help ensure that nobody takes advantage of the possible rice crisis.

He said the city government and other government agencies will monitor prices of prime commodities.*RA

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