The authorities of Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam province has not received 180 tons of rice as part of an aid package, because officials claim the quality is very poor.

The authorities of Nui Thanh district in the central province of Quang Nam has not received 180 tons of rice as part of an aid package, because officials claim the quality is very poor.

Previously, the Government allocated 3000 tons of rice to Quang Nam province as cooking aid for the 2010 drought and stormy season. Quang Nam has shared 3000 tons of rice to 18 districts and towns, including 180 tons to Nui Thanh district.

Nui Thanh district refused the rice because of its very poor quality and ask for better rice.

On September 27, Nui Thanh authorities met with the State Reserve Agency’s Hai Hung branch to discuss the case. The two sides agreed to test the rice at an independent agency in the next several days.

“I don’t know about the quality of rice allocated to other districts, but the rice allocated for our district is not good. Who will suffer if the people complain?” said Nui Thanh Chair Nguyen Tien.

“That rice was imported to our warehouse in 2009. It has been stocked for 17 months. The expiration for reserve is not for seven months, according to the regulations on reserves. The ratio of smeared seeds is less than one percent, meeting the standards,” said Nguyen Anh Dung from the State Reserve Agency’s Hai Hung branch.

Dung added that the Government instructs the State Reserve Agency on allocating which kinds of rice. The agency doesn’t have the right to distribute old or new rice.

He added that, because of this case, more than 900 tons of rice for distribution to Quang Nam’s districts are now stuck in Da Nang. This case also causes losses for agencies related to the contract to transport 1,500 tons of rice to Quang Nam.

Nguyen Huy from Quang Nam’s Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs told Tuoi Tre Daily that the rice samples for Nui Thanh district are the same with those distributed to other districts in Quang Nam.

He showed Tuoi Tre a sealed rice sample. The packing notes clearly: 15 percent broken rice, long seed variety planted in the southern region, imported in the winter-spring 2009. Moisture 14 percent, impurities 0.09 percent. Perception: no mold, no living insects.

However, Nui Thanh district’s Chair Nguyen Tien still maintained his opinion about its quality.

On September 26, Quang Nam Chair Tran Minh Ca checked the quality of 120 tons of rice for Tam Ky city, which was said to be equal to rice in the market. Ca told area agencies to continue checking the quality allocated already to other areas of Quang Nam.

PV