By Perla Lena/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — The National Food Authority (NFA) continues to intensify its palay procurement program, urging farmers in Western Visayas to sell their produce to the government and avail of incentives.
“Under Republic Act 11203, NFA is mandated to focus on the optimal level of rice inventory for buffer stockinbg, which shall be maintained to address the needs for relief during calamities and emergencies anywhere across the country,” said NFA-Region 6 (Western Visayas) information officer Lalaine Doronilla on Thursday.
She added that the buffer stock will be “accumulated through procurement from domestic palay production”.
Data from Regional Operations Officer Ma. Theresa Alarcon showed that for the first four months of this year, NFA-6 has already procured 31,263 bags of palay.
Doronila said that NFA has identified buying stations, where farmers, through their associations and local government units, will be informed of the buying schedule.
“There are collection centers strategically located all over the provinces where NFA will assign a Procurement Team to accept and pay the palay sold by the farmers,” she said.
She added that NFA will buy palay from “legitimate farmers” or those with Farmer’s Passbook, Master’s Passbook or included on the validated “geotagging” list of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
First time walk-in farmers will be entertained but they already have to secure an NFA passbook for their succeeding transactions.
NFA sets the buying price at PHP17 per kilogram (kg) for clean and dry palay. Additional incentives include additional PHP3.00/kg as buffer stocking incentive (BSI); PHP0.20/kg drying incentive if the palay has moisture content (MC) of 14 percent and below; PHP0.20/kg delivery incentive and PHP0.30/kg Cooperative Development Incentive Fee (CDIF).
Farmers interested to sell their palay are also encouraged to coordinate with the NFA provincial offices in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo and Negros Occidental.
They may get in touch with the NFA provincial managers (PM) Josephine Castillo for Aklan (0917-7031963); Antique, Marianito Bejemino (0917-5704674); Capiz, Jose Pacificador (0917-5699672); Iloilo, Oliver Cambas (0917-5145758) and for Negros Occidental, Francisco Canoy (0917-5715658).
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