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SINAG seeks to extend MOA with NFA on palay procurement

By Stephanie Sevillano

October 18, 2022, 8:41 pm

<p><strong>HIGHER FARMGATE PRICE</strong>. Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) President Rosendo So (right) discusses the recently inked Memorandum of Agreement on buying local palay at a higher farmgate price to help farmers in a radio interview on Tuesday (October 18, 2022). He said SINAG hopes the deal would be extended even after the peak of the harvest season. <em>(Screengrab)</em></p>

HIGHER FARMGATE PRICE. Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) President Rosendo So (right) discusses the recently inked Memorandum of Agreement on buying local palay at a higher farmgate price to help farmers in a radio interview on Tuesday (October 18, 2022). He said SINAG hopes the deal would be extended even after the peak of the harvest season. (Screengrab)

MANILA – The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said on Tuesday it hopes to extend the recently inked Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on buying palay from local farmers at a higher farmgate price.

The deal was inked during the celebration of World Food Day on Monday to ensure help to farmers challenged with the production cost hike.

In an interview with Radyo Pilipinas, SINAG President Rosendo So said the signed MOA with the Philippine Confederation of Grains Association and National Food Authority (NFA) is focused on the peak of the harvest season.

Ito is October to January, ‘yung peak ng harvest natin. Alam naman natin na ito ang pinaka-peak ng harvest so dito tayo nag-concentrate muna. Pero after that i-extend uli natin ‘no with the NFA (This is for October to January, the peak of our harvest. We know that this is the highest peak of harvest, so we concentrated on this first. But after that, we will extend this with the NFA,” he said.

Under the MOA, 7.5 billion kilograms or around 7.5 million metric tons of palay will be bought at PHP150 billion.

This supply will be disposed of at PHP38/kilogram in the market, lower than the imported rice priced at PHP42/kg to PHP45/kg.

The set PHP38/kg market price gives retailers at least a four-peso markup price.

Ang tinarget kasi natin is para at least tumaas ‘yung pagbili ng palay ‘yung dating, PHP17 to PHP18, aabot ng PHP19 to PHP20. Nag-start na tayo sa Region 1, Region 2, and Region 3 yesterday upon signing ng MOA para at least matulungan ang ating mga magsasaka (What we’ve targeted is at least to hike the price of palay from PHP17 to PHP18. It is now at PHP19 to PHP20. We started in Region 1, Region 2, and Region 3 yesterday upon signing the MOA to at least help our farmers),” Rosendo added.

He noted that these three regions produce 65 to 70 percent of the country’s entire rice harvest.

The SINAG said this move is part of their response to the earlier call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos to aid farmers and provide more affordable food to Filipinos.

Ang marching order kasi ng ating presidente, dapat ang private sector, tumulong sa ating government, tayo naman, gusto natin hindi lang tumulong sa magsasaka, sa consumer dapat ayusin din ‘yung retail price (The marching order of the President was for the private sector to also help the government. We want not just to help farmers but also set the right retail price for consumers),” he said. (PNA)

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