The National Food Authority buys palay from Guimaras farmers at government-support price to ensure market for the farmers’ produce and enable them to have a fair return on production investment. Photo shows the agency’s warehouse in Guimaras.
NFA GUIMARAS CAPITOL PHOTO
JORDAN, Guimaras – To help local farmers, the provincial government of Guimaras injected P1.5 million in additional fund into the National Food Authority’s (NFA) palay (unhusked rice) procurement.
Specifically, it added P1 to the P19 per kilo buying price of NFA.
The Provincial Office for Agricultural Services (POAS) turned over the P1.5 million on Feb. 15 and the procurement started on Feb. 17.
Gov. Samuel Gumarin said the Guimaras “RISE (Rice price Immediate Support for farmers’ Empowerment) in Rice” project through Palay Buffer Stocking Program of the POAS aims to help facilitate continuous and smooth transaction of farmers with the grains agency and to help the Guimarasnon farmers cope with the plunging prices of palay.
This aims is to encourage the Guimarasnon farmers to process-dry and sell their palay to the NFA while giving incentive to the farmers in the province.
“Buligan naton ang aton mga mangunguma kay amo ini sila ang nagapakaon sa aton. Subong nga pandemya isa man sila sa mga apektado. We have to protect our farmers from unstable nga presyo sang humay,” Gumarin said.
NFA urged the farmers to sell their produce to the agency to build up its buffer stock as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lingers.
The aggressive procurement aims to help stabilize prices of palay at the peak of the harvest season according to the NFA.
Further, NFA buys from farmers/farmers’ organizations at the government support price to ensure market for farmers’ produce and enable them to have fair return on production investment.
As of Feb. 26, a total of 119,874 kilograms of palay were procured by the NFA from Guimarasnon farmers./PN
