President Ferdinand R. Marcos. Jr. bared plans to restore the original function of the National Food Authority (NFA) to sustain food security and price stability.
This was gleaned during an informal dialogue with Bulacan farmers on Wednesday, May 28 at the NFA warehouse in San Ildefonso town in Bulacan province.
Marcos said he will urge Congress to bring back the regulatory functions of the NFA to help stabilize food prices, especially rice.
The President recalled that when the NFA was founded in 1972 by his father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., the agency's mandate was not only to focus on rice but also corn and others.
During the informal dialogue, Marcos said he also wants the NFA be allowed to sell cheap but quality rice in the market again.
The president also mentioned the approval of P5.3 billion to NFA for the acquisition of rice dryers and six units are set to be deployed in Bulacan.
Additional rice mills in Bulacan province, similar to those in the municipality of Pulilan and the City of Baliwag, are also set to be funded by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
The President directed Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel to expedite the procurement of delivery trucks in order to pick up palay directly from the farmers.
Marcos personally supervised the on-going palay procurement in San Ildefonso by the NFA.
About 549,000 cavans of palay were already procured by the agency and now being stocked in their warehouses in the city of Malolos, and the municipalities of Balagtas, San Miguel and San Ildefonso.
The NFA said it has recently resumed buying palay from farmers in Bulacan, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture.
The move came in response to farmers' concerns about the low traders’ prices of P11.50 per kilogram of wet palay, below the estimated production cost of P12 per kilogram to P14 kilogram.
NFA's average buying price is set at P18 per kilogram of fresh and wet palay, and P24 per kilogram of clean and dry palay.