Local farmers urged to sell their palay to NFA

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent .

National Food Authority (NFA) Region 10 has appealed to local farmers to sell their palay to the government agency to help strengthen the government’s rice buffer stock.

NFA-10 spokesperson Hazel Belacho said with harvest for the wet season (main crop) already starting early in some provinces, the National Food Authority (NFA) is also intensifying its campaign to procure more palay from local farmers to beef up the agency’s buffer stock.

“Padayon ang pamalit sa NFA ug palay. Mudawat usab kini ug basa nga palay pataas taman sa 30% moisture content,” she said.

She said under the present administration, local farmers has been assisted by the government in providing certified seeds, fertilizers, planting and harvest agricultural equipment, free irrigation and other needs in agricultural farm.

“Hinaut unta makapamaligya pud ang atoang mga mang-uuma nga nakadawat ug dakung ayuda sa gobyerno sa ilahang abot para sa buffer stocks,” she added.

Belacho said such act in selling a share of their palay to NFA is part of the so called social responsibility for the community.

Records show for the month of September alone, the NFA had already procured 1,474 bags from farmers in North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Iloilo, increasing the agency’s total procurement to 77,594 bags despite the continuous increase in palay farmgate prices.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released this month showed that the average farm gate price of palay has reached P23.66 per kilogram nationwide. The highest farmgate prices of palay were reported at P29.00/kg in Lanao del Norte and P28.00/kg. in Pangasinan and Laguna.

Belacho said no less than NFA-10 regional director Dianne Silva instructed provincial managers especially in rice producing areas, to be more aggressive in their palay buying strategies, and continue to adopt innovative means to convince farmers to sell to the agency despite the big difference in palay buying price.

“Nia pa kita sa P20.70 per kilogram. At least gamay na lamang ang difference compared to commercial rate. Kung mohatag lang og share ang tanang mga farmers para sa government then dili nato kini problema,” she pointed out.

NFA buys at a support price of P17.00 per kg for clean and dry palay, with incentives up to P1.00/kg for cooperative members and P0.70/kg for individual farmers and P3.00/ as buffer stocking incentive.

She said NFA actually buys wet palay from farmers with up to 30% moisture content. The buying price for wet palay is determined based on the Equivalent Net Weight (ENW) factor as Misamis Oriental farmers apprehension.