Saturday, August 16, 2008 NFA sets aside P224M for palay procurement
THE National Food Authority (NFA) here on Wednesday urged farmers in south-central Mindanao to deliver their produce to the grains agency due to the higher buying price, with the procurement budget estimated at P224 million.
Antonio R. dela Cruz, NFA-Southern Mindanao regional director, said the agency's buying price of dry palay now stands at P17 per kilogram, P6 higher than the previous P11/kg.
"We appeal to all farmers' organization and individual farmers in the area to avail of the current government support price of P17.00/kg to help our country reduce its import volume of rice to beef up its inventory especially during lean months," he said.
The NFA-Southern Mindanao covers the Davao Region, Sarangani, and Compostella Valley provinces, and General Santos City.
Dela Cruz said they are targeting to buy 264,000 bags of palay at their jurisdiction during the current cropping season. Each bag is estimated to weigh P50 kgs.
Average buying price of dry palay in the region by private traders ranges from P14 to P15/kg, monitoring of the regional office revealed.
The new NFA buying price was imposed during the palay planting season from April to May but this was extended to this period since the government wants to capture the farmers' rice harvest to address the stock inventory volume of the country and to reduce rice importation, the official said.
Palay can be harvested three to four months after it was planted.
Dela Cruz said those qualified to avail of the NFA purchasing program are farm tillers under an accredited farmers' organization.
"All logistical requirements for palay procurement are already in place and all buying stations in every province are ready to accept any volume of palay deliveries," he said.
Dela Cruz said the agency is fully equipped to pay immediately all palay deliveries.
"All palay procurement this season will be granted fertilizer incentives of P1,800 for every 50-bag delivery from accredited individual or any farmers' organizations," he added.
To encourage farmers to sell their palay to the grains agency, there will be mobile procurement in some areas aside from the usual stationary buying stations in strategic locations across the region, dela Cruz said. (BSS)
