New Food Authority manager assumes post

THE National Food Authority (NFA) manager Procopio Trabajo II has assumed post and paid a courtesy call to Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson at the Bacolod Government Center on Wednesday.

"Seemingly, I am here in time for the harvest season. We are now trying to set up buying stations, most especially in Southern Negros where the palay (rice) farms are located. We were in Candoni and Dancalan the other day to visit our warehouses there. I talked to the officials of Candoni, especially the municipal agriculturist. We may be setting up buying stations starting next week to be able to be of assistance to our farmers and farmers cooperative. More or less that will be our major activity with my assumption," said Trabajo, who was previously assigned in NFA Aklan.

NFA has a warehouse in Dancalan and San Carlos that are considered as buying stations. The agency will establish a satellite buying station.

Trabajo said he will be sending a team there to start next week.

"I was informed that the prices of the traders are also a little high. It is also nice if our presence can be felt there so that, if the farmers would like to come to us probably because our weighing scales are regularly calibrated and our prices are also reasonable, then they could come to us and deliver their produce," he said.

They will still go around and check where they could set up buying stations, he said, adding that they also have teams for Valladolid and San Enrique.

"I am still trying to familiarize myself with the province and where our warehouses are so that we would be ready for action soon," he said.

The price of a clean and dry palay is P17 plus per kilo. NFA also offers drying and delivery incentives.

The agency also gives a Cooperative Development Incentive fund to cooperative that delivers their produce to the NFA buying stations.

For an individual farmer, the price can reach a possible maximum of P17.40 and for farmers cooperative, the maximum price per kilogram is P17.70.

Iloilo, Guimaras and Aklan provinces have surpluses in rice production. (CNC)