UNHAMPERED OPERATIONS. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa assures unhampered operations in the National Food Authority (NFA) despite the new preventive suspension order from the Office of the Ombudsman against two NFA officials, in an interview on Tuesday (March 12, 2024). He said the body will have another NFA council meeting to discuss recommendations on the continuous purchase of rice buffer stock amid the peak harvest season. (PNA photo by Stephanie Sevillano)
MANILA – The National Food Authority (NFA) must prioritize the sale of its rice buffer stock to disaster response agencies, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.
This came after the latest batch of preventive suspension orders from the Office of the Ombudsman which covered two more NFA officials over the alleged improper sale of NFA rice buffer stock.
In an interview, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the prime purpose of the NFA is to ensure the provision of rice for disaster response, considering the looming threat of La Niña.
”Importante kasi kapag may kalamidad at disaster, ang unang kailangan nating responde, kailangang may kakainin iyong tao. NFA na bigas iyong number 1 na kailangan ng DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), ng lokal na pamahalaan (Our first response must be there in times of calamities or disasters, the people should have something to eat. NFA rice is the number one rice needed by the DSWD and local government units)," he said.
Besides the demands of the DSWD and LGUs, de Mesa said the NFA must also include the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), among others, in its priority list.
”Tutugunan muna iyong pangangailangan nila, maiwasan iyong pag may request, hindi napagbibigyan (The [NFA] must respond first to their needs, the unattended requests must be avoided)," he said.
De Mesa, however, assured that the NFA is continuously buying palay for its buffer stock despite the ongoing probe amid the harvest season.
The Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. (PCAFI), meanwhile, underscored the need to stabilize the situation in the NFA to prevent traders from taking advantage of farmers.
"The last resort of the farmers when you have a bumper harvest is not there. So it’s a possibility that traders will take advantage of this and bring down the buying price of palay to the detriment of the farmers,” PCAFI president Danilo Fausto said in a separate interview.
He underscored the urgency to replace suspended officials to keep the bureaucratic procedures unhampered amid the peak harvest season.
"NFA will have to function as it is because takbuhan ng farmers iyan kapag binabarat ng mga traders ng palay (because that's where the farmers are running into when they are losing to traders),” he added.
On Monday, Laurel reassumed as the NFA's caretaker following the suspension of then-designated officer-in-charge Piolito Santos and department manager for operation and coordination Jonathan Yazon.
He also designated Director IV Larry Lacson as the new officer-in-charge deputy administrator.
Adjusting buying price
In terms of buying prices for rice, de Mesa said the NFA council will look into a possible price adjustment to benefit the farmers.
"Kailangan may opportunity rin ang NFA na talagang kung paano makipaglaro sa mga traders… Gusto ni Secretary, ma-match o magkaroon ng careful balance doon sa presyuhan (The NFA must have an opportunity on how to play with the traders. Secretary [Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.] wants to match or to have a careful balance in the prices)," he said.
Meanwhile, Fausto said although the idea of increasing buying price is beneficial to farmers, the current NFA price appears to be balanced in maintaining affordable retail prices for consumers.
”Sa farmer, very good news iyan (for farmers, that's very good news) because the best encouragement to produce and plant is to increase the price of the product,” he said.
“PHP23 I think is good enough because you have to calibrate. You have to balance the position and the benefit of the farmers and the consumers,” Fausto added.
To date, the NFA's buying price is set at PHP23 per kilogram of palay.
The NFA has more than PHP17 billion in funds for this year to purchase 300,000 metric tons of national rice buffer stock from local farmers. (PNA)
