National Food Authority (NFA) will continue to purchase paddy from farmers and import rice, if necessary, to beef up its buffer stock even after the quantitative restriction (QR) on the staple has been lifted. The NFA made the statement in reaction to speculations that with the lifting of the rice QR in favor of higher tariffs on imports, the food agency may have to be reorganized to limit its functions to proprietary activities, such as buffer stocking and local procurement.