Guv to NFA: More buying stations

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Provincial Government recently urged the National Food Authority (NFA) to consider establishing more palay buying stations in strategic areas in Pampanga to assist farmers in marketing their produce, especially this coming rainy season.

Governor Lilia Pineda said she would like to assure farmers that they are exhausting all possible strategies to further increase income and food production in Pampanga.

Pineda also reiterated that the development of agriculture is one of the priority thrusts of her administration.

In fact, she added, some 12,000 bags of certified seeds worth P14 million were distributed last year to farmers in various municipalities of the province.

Records show that of the total agricultural area of the province, 53,644 hectares are planted with rice, 11,433 hectares with corn and 2,622 hectares with vegetables. About 6,536 hectares are devoted to orchards while 34,466 hectares are fishponds.

More than 32,000 individuals in the province are rice farmers who reported a total of 4,562,400 cavans of rice harvested last planting season.

It can be noted that earlier, Mayor Jerry Pelayo asked NFA Administrator Lito Banayo to authorize the municipality of Candaba to establish "palay" buying stations.

Initial reports have it that only local traders are benefiting, at the expense of the farmers.

With this, Pelayo said farmers are left with no choice but to sell the "palay" to these traders.