BALAGTAS, Bulacan — Members of the House of Representatives together with Bureau of Customs and Coast Guard officials conducted an ocullar inspections on three rice warehouses inside the Intercity Industrial Estate on this part of the town on August 24.

The lawmakers were headed by House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo, House committee chairman on Agriculture and Food Mark Enverga and Bulacan 5th District Rep. Ambrosio “Boy” Cruz.

The ocular inspections were conducted to verify reports if there is really rice hoarding being committed by traders in this industrial estate otherwise known as one of the major rice trading centers in Luzon.

Among the ricemill/ warehouses inspected were the FS Ricemill, San Pedro Warehouse and Great Harvest Ricemill.

Only the Great Harvest Ricemill was temporarily padlocked because no representative of the ricemill was present to face the inspection team while FS Ricemill and San Pedro Warehouse representatives were advised to submit necessary documents before they can resume operations.

Romualdez said he and his colleagues in the House of Representatives conducted the rice fact-finding mission to find out if there is really a shortage in the supply of the country’s staple food.

Based on their findings, Romualdez said there is no rice shortage and rice traders have confirmed that locally produced rice will start arriving in the next few weeks.

He also advised rice importers to conduct their business the right way and pay whatever is due to the government in terms of taxes.

On the other hand, Bulacan District 5 Rep. Ambrosio Cruz said that it is about time that local farmers cooperatives are empowered.

He cited the farmers cooperatives in other countries like Vietnam, Thailand , Japan and Korea are at the forefront in rice production, marketing and warehousing.

Local farmers cooperative should be supported by local government units for its operations to be successful, Cruz noted.

He added that it is about time that the country come out with a local structure and a model in rice production in one or two or three provinces.

He added that if we find these to be effective then we replicate it in other provinces of the country.

Photo: Mon Lazaro