ILOILO CITY -- The National Food Authority (NFA)-Western Visayas encouraged farmers in Western Visayas to invest in high-value crops such as black or red rice.
NFA-Western Visayas Regional Director Rex Estoperez said that farmers should diversify their production and invest in producing high-value crops as a prelude preparation to the lifting of the quantitative restriction on rice importation on July this year.
He said that farmers need to manage rice production and make it less expensive and comparable to that of the neighboring rice-producing countries.
With the aim of uplifting the lives of farmers here and protecting their interest, NFA in Iloilo initiated and conducted a series of seminar-workshops on grains classification.
The activity intended to educate and increase the farmer’s understanding on the NFA quality standards and specifications in classifying grains during "palay" (unhusked rice) procurement.
The free seminar-workshop has been conducted in Barotac Viejo, participated in by farmers and farmer’s organizations from the 5th Congressional District of Iloilo province, and in Pototan, which was intended for farmers in the 3rd Congressional District.
NFA-Iloilo is also planning to hold the activity in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Congressional Districts of Iloilo and in the province of Guimaras.
During the seminar-workshop, farmers were given an overview of NFA policies and programs including the NFA grains procurement policies and procedures. The farmers also underwent the actual hands-on workshop on grains identification and segregation. (PIA)