RICE farmers in Negros Occidental may soon sell their palay (unhusked rice) to the National Food Authority (NFA) through the Rice Processing Center (RPC) in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City.

Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said they requested and allowed NFA-Negros Occidental to use the Provincial Government-owned facility as its additional buying station in the province.

Masculino said the province will not charge the NFA in setting up a buying station at the RPC, noting that it will be for the benefit of the local rice farmers.

"This will provide farmers the option for a higher price of their palay," he said, adding that the RPC as buying station is also open to rice farmers outside Bago City.

The buying at the RPC will start as soon as the NFA can set up the station.

The agency buys clean and dry palay at P19 per kilogram, which is higher than P12 to P15 per kilo prevailing buying prices among traders.

Some local rice farmers earlier lamented that the low buying prices of palay have further plunged them to poverty especially during this coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

According to the Barangay Dulao United Farm Owners Association, the current buying price of palay actually ranges from P11 to P14 per kilo only depending on the variety.

The farmers are on the losing end given these prices. They cannot even recover their production cost, the group said.

As part of the measures to help rice farmers during this pandemic, Masculino said Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has ordered the free use of the RPC for farmers to dry their palay there.

Masculino told SunStar Bacolod that the Provincial Government has already provided a vehicle to the NFA to transport the palay it procured from local farmers.

The provincial agriculturist pointed out that aside from the RPC, rice farmers can also sell their palay to other NFA buying stations near their areas.

"The NFA can cater to local government units (LGUs) if they request to set up a buying station in their localities," he said, adding that the province is supporting the move of the NFA to open more buying stations so to provide farmers better alternatives as to where to sell their produce.