LEGAZPI CITY – The National Food Authority (NFA) in Bicol on Friday assured the local farmers in the region that the agency has sufficient budget to buy their palay (unhusked rice) harvest.
Edna de Guzman, the NFA regional director, in an interview, said the government allocated PHP112 million for the grains procurement program in Bicol that is replenished when needed.
"Gusto ko din ipaabot na (I want them to know), the farmers, they don't have to worry because we (NFA) have sufficient funds as far as procurement of palay is concerned. As of today, our fund on hand is almost PHP112 million and we are expecting more kasi habang… halimbawa nag exceed na sa target hihingi kami immediately, within two days andyan na ang pera (and if we exceed the target, we will immediately ask for replenishment, which is downloaded within two days)," she added.
De Guzman also confirmed that NFA surpassed its provincial palay procurement target last September in Sorsogon (198.2 percent); Camarines Sur (125.53 percent); and Catanduanes (110.8 percent).
"While the remaining provinces of Camarines Norte, Masbate, and Albay still have palay to be harvested," she said. "We are expecting more volume of palay for the month of October since it is the peak month of harvest."
An NFA report showed that Camarines Sur has the highest number of procured palay with 94,150 bags; followed by Sorsogon with 15,856 bags; Albay, 6,469 bags; Camarines Norte, 4,480; Catanduanes, 1,663; and Masbate, 405 bags.
NFA-Bicol is buying clean and dry palay from farmers at PHP19 a kilo.
Meanwhile, Albay 3rd District Rep. Fernando Cabredo said on Friday that to address the complaints of hundreds of farmers on the reported drop in the buying price of palay to PHP12 per kilo, six mayors in his area have agreed to set up rice buying stations in their respective areas.
Cabredo, in a phone interview, said the establishments of rice buying stations in the towns of Guinobatan, Jovellar, Pioduran, Oas, Polangui, Libon, and Ligao City would solve the drop in the price of palay due to intermittent weather conditions and absence of post-harvest facilities that force the farmers to sell their produce to local traders at a lower price.
He said he was assured by the NFA-Albay that it is ready to buy dried and cleaned palay at PHP19 per kilo through two buying stations in the town of Libon and Ligao City.
“The absence of rice buying station compels farmers to sell their palay to rice traders who in turn take advantage of the situation by manipulating and dictating the buying price of palay,” he said. "Farmers would like to sell their produce directly to the NFA to get a good price but they are discouraged to do so because of the stringent buying procedure of the agency, which requires the palay to be clean and dry. This, according to them, would entail an additional operating cost, including the lack of post-harvest facilities in their community."
Cabredo, quoting a report of NFA, said the agency could not buy and accept palay that is still wet and unclean because of the absence of post-harvest facilities across the region.
The Albay solon on Thursday facilitated a dialogue between Department of Agriculture (DA) regional director Rodel Tornilla, the Albay provincial agriculture office, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Libon Mayor Das Maronilla who is the Albay Mayors' League president, and the mayors of Oas and Ligao City.
“To ease the burden of farmers in selling palay, it was agreed that NFA establish(es) buying/pickup stations in coordination with the mayors to provide accessibility to these stations by the farmers, particularly those in far-flung areas,” Cabredo said.
“We also asked the DA to provide more post-harvest facilities like rice processing centers, dryers, and multipurpose drying pavement, and assistance to farmers for selling their palay produce such as transportation assistance, farm to market roads,“ he added. (PNA)
