Flour millers on Sunday called on consumers to be considerate when buying bread and limit their purchases to two days’ worth of consumption to allow inventory to reach the rest of the buying public.
Philippine Association of Flour Millers executive director Ric Pinca cited reports showing that groceries and supermarkets were running out of bread supply lately as consumers were observed to buying more than their normal consumption.
“There is enough bread in the market for everyone. Bakeries continue to produce bread and other bakery products to meet consumer demand. We also have enough flour and deliveries to bakeries remain unhampered as flour trucks and other food delivery vehicles were issued passes by the Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the group tasked to oversee the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic” he said.
Pinca assured community bakeries in residential neighborhoods had enough bread and flour supply to meet the country’s normal demand for the commodity.
It said the country has three months of inventory of wheat and flour while forward purchases of the raw material wheat were already made, an assurance of ample supply of wheat all year-round.
The Philippines produces 83 million bags of flour a year, 70 percent of which goes to the bread industry while the rest become pastries, noodles and other flat flour products. Filipinos consume some 20 kg of flour-based food per person each year.
Pinca said a vessel recently unloaded 50,000 metric tons of wheat grains at the Manila anchorage for flour mills along the Pasig River. Several more vessels are expected to arrive at the end of the month in other ports in the country.
Pinca said wheat flour millers were providing bread to Covid-19 frontliners in hospitals, military and police forces who are manning the checkpoints in various locations in Metro Manila.
“We believe that it is in times of crisis like this coronavirus pandemic that the business community should extend a helping hand to those who need the help most, especially the less privileged groups and those leading the fight against the spread of the pandemic,” Pinca said.
Among the recipients of PAFMIL’s assistance are ABS-CBN Foundation, policemen of Northern Police District, Southern Police District, Eastern Police District, V. Luna Medical Center, Fort Bonifacio Hospital and Las Pinas General Hospital.
PAFMIL also allocated bread for Rizal Memorial Coliseum Covid-19 Center which is expected to operate this week.
Pinca said PAFMIL started its bread assistance project on March 15, immediately after the entire Luzon was placed under quarantine.
sPAFMIL groups seven of the oldest and biggest flour mills in the country. They include Liberty Flour Mills, Philippine Flour Mills, Wellington Flour Mills, RFM Corp., General Milling Corp., Universal Robina Corp. and Pilmico Foods Corp.
