MANILA - THE Philippines, the world's leading importer of rice, said on Wednesday it would hand out 50,000 tonnes of the surplus grain to children.
The give-away will free up space in 480 government warehouses where President Benigno Aquino has said unsold rice is rotting, National Food Authority spokesman Rex Estoperez told AFP. 'All our warehouses are full and we cannot sell rice to the market,' Mr Estoperez said.
'We will be using overstocked rice for the feeding programme. That is one strategy to de-clog the warehouses.' He said about one million sacks of rice weighing 50 kg each would be used in the mass feeding programme.
The rice would be made into porridge for students at an estimated 48,000 day care centres operated by the social welfare department, Mr Estoperez said. No specific timetable was given for the programme, although Mr Estoperez said it would be carried out 'as soon as possible'.
The Philippines is the world's biggest importer of rice but Aquino, who took office on June 30, has accused the administration of his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, of importing more than was needed. Mr Aquino last month ordered a review of government rice import policies and appointed a new administrator for the NFA, stressing that some of the overstocked rice were rotting.
The new NFA chief, Angelito Banayo, subsequently said the country was 'swimming in rice'. He said 2.4 tonnes of the grain bought by Arroyo's government last year were due for delivery in September, but there was no more space to store them. -- AFP
