NFA buys some 2M bags of palay in September alone
The National Food Authority (NFA) had already bought about two million bags of palay for the month of September alone, as the traditional main harvest, starting this month until November, starts to peak.
NFA Administrator Judy Carol L. Dansal assures rice farmers that the Agency is ready to buy their harvest, through its 558 warehouses and buying stations strategically located in rice-producing areas nationwide.
Reacting to reports about alleged lowering of palay prices due to the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), Administrator Dansal explained that the RTL is actually an instrument that will help lower the production cost of farmers per kilogram. “But since the law is still new and the rice sector is still under a transition period, we cannot yet attain or savor the full benefits of the law, although we can already see and feel it,” she said.
Related to that, Administrator Dansal also stressed that NFA will not support the move of some misguided groups calling for the amendment or repeal of the RTL.
Even as the NFA buys palay on a year-round basis, Administrator Dansal has issued special instructions to NFA’s field officials prior to the main harvest season to be more aggressive in their palay buying activities and come up with innovative ways to serve as many farmers as possible.
NFA’s palay procurement for the month of September, at a daily average of 90,012 bags, was heaviest in Region II (Cagayan Valley) with a total of 505,440 bags bought for the period; followed by Region VI (Western Visayas) with 318,383 bags; Region XII (Central Mindanao) with 298,665 bags; Region IV (Southern Tagalog) with 121,910 bags and Region V (Bicol) with 100,714 bags.
The Agency’s 558 buying stations are distributed across the country as follows: Region I ? 57 (located in Abra, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, East and West Pangasinan); Region II - 60 (located in Cagayan Apayao, Cagayan, Kalinga Apayao, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Ifugao, Mountain Province); Region III - 76 ( in Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales); Region IV - 112 (located in Batangas, Infanta, Laguna, Mamburao, Marinduque, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Quezon, Romblon and Lubang Island); Region V - 27 ( in Albay, Camarines Norte and Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon); Region VI - 40 (Aklan. Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Guimaras); Region VII -10 (Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Siquijor); Region VIII - 25 (Northern and Southern Leyte, Biliran, Western, Northern and Eastern Samar); Region IX -19 (Zamboanga City Zamboanga del Sur (Pagadian), Zamboanga Sur (Ipil / Sibugay) Zamboanga del Norte (Dipolog); Region X - 24 (Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Oriental); Region XI - 35 (Gen. Santos / Sarangani, Davao City, Davao Sur Digos, Davao Norte / Tagum, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental); Region XII -45 (North and South Cotabato (Marbel / Koronadal), Sultan Kudarat); NCR ? 1 (Batanes); ARMM ? 11 (Maguindanao, Lanao Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan); CARAGA ? 16 (Agusan Norte and Sur, Surigao Norte and Sur).
The list and locations of NFA’s palay buying stations are posted on the agency’s website (nfa.gov.ph) and Facebook page for easy access and reference by farmers and farmer organizations who may wish to take advantage of the government’s P19/kilogram buying price for clean and dry palay.
“As instructed by the President, and pursuant to our mandate of buffer stocking for calamities and emergencies, we do our very best to accommodate as many farmers who would want to sell palay to the government,” Administrator Dansal said.
Administrator Dansal also called for strong ties and constant coordination between the NFA, farmers and Local Government Units (LGUs) “We encourage our farmers and LGUs to coordinate with NFA in their respective localities, just as we constantly remind our field officials, to also keep in constant touch with them to come up with the best ways to help the farmers get a good price for their produce, especially during this main harvest season,” Dansal said.
NFA has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the provinces of Quirino and Isabela wherein the two provinces will add P1.00 and P2.00, respectively, for every kilogram of palay sold to NFA by farmers in the area. This is in addition to NFA’s P19.00/kg buying price. Currently undergoing coordination is a similar form of incentive for palay farmers in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija.
Administrator Dansal credited the NFA’s efficient response to the rice needs of LGUs, legislators and relief agencies during the COVID - 19 pandemic this year to the high volume of palay procured by NFA in 2019. “We were successful in our palay procurement program last year, which allowed us to effectively supply the rice needs of communities affected by the pandemic, especially Metro Manila, during the implementation of community quarantines starting March. We are still maintaining a safe level of buffer stocks until now,” she informed.
From January to September 29 this year, the NFA had already procured a total of 4,926,143 bags of palay. DMS
