DA, NFA to boost palay procurement in the region

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent . 

The Department of Agriculture-10 and the National Food Authority-10 will boost palay procurement in the Northern Mindanao area after a coordination meeting held last Friday.

Both regional offices initially agreed to boost palay procurement in support to the palay procurement operations of the NFA-10, da-10 laid their initial interventions during a coordination meeting.

Hazel Belacho, NFA-10 regional information officer said during the coordination meeting, both agreed to have four units of recirculating fast grain dryers, two hauling trucks and the use of rice processing centers in Lala, Lanao del Norte and Maramag, Bukidnon.

“Dako na kayo kini og tabang in having enough supply of rice,” she said.

As of last week, the NFA had already procured a total of 88,982 bags of palay or about 44 percent of its 200,500 bags target for the month.

DA-10 Regional Director Carlene C. Collado said the agency will procure five units of mobile recirculating fast grain dryers, in which the four units will be allocated for NFA, while the one unit for the Philippine Rice Research Institute in Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon.

NFA-10 Regional Director Genaro S. Nuñez recommended that these dryers will be placed in Maramag, Aglayan, Malaybalay City and Kalilangan in Bukidnon and in Lala, Lanao del Norte considering the palay production of these provinces.

Collado emphasized that the meeting is in compliance with the directive of DA Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol to address the problems encountered by farmers in dealing with NFA such as lack of drying facilities, delayed payments and inability of the agency to bring their buying operations to the field.

DA’s support in NFA’s procurement operations aim to ensure that it will be able to buy enough stocks for the buffer stocks to stabilize supply and at the same time protect farmers from exploitation by rice traders.