HARVEST SEASON. Rice farmers in Bago City, Negros Occidental harvest their produce as they face a lower buying price at PHP13 to PHP14 per kilogram offered by traders. Still, they have the option to sell their palay to the National Food Authority at a higher price of up to PHP20.70 per kilogram. (PNA photo by Erwin P. Nicavera )
BACOLOD CITY -- Buying stations of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental are open to purchasing locally-produced palay at a higher price amid the prevailing low buying-price offered by traders.
NFA provincial manager Frisco Canoy on Tuesday said they are offering a competitive price for rice farmers, and welcome any volume of palay for sale.
“We have been campaigning, especially through our meetings with the farmers, that we are still open to buy their produce,” Canoy said.
According to the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), the buying price offered by traders in the province is between PHP13 and PHP14 per kilogram.
For its part, the NFA continues to procure palay from local farmers at a support price of PHP17 per kilogram.
The agency also provides incentives of PHP3 per kilogram, and PHP0.70 per kilogram comprised of drying incentive of PHP0.20, a delivery incentive of PHP0.20, and cooperative development incentive fee of PHP0.30 intended for associations where they belong.
Canoy said an individual farmer can receive a maximum of PHP20.40 per kilogram while members of farmer cooperatives can get a maximum of PHP20.70 per kilogram for palay sold to the NFA.
Since January this year, NFA-Negros Occidental has purchased about 2,000 bags of palay from farmers in the province.
The bulk of the procurement was done at the NFA buying station in San Carlos City. The NFA also has buying stations in its warehouses in Ilog town and Bacolod City.
Processing Center is in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City, considered as the rice granary of Negros Occidental.
Canoy said their team in Bago City can already start catering to farmers with dried palay.
“They can actually dry their palay at the processing center then it will be directly sold to us through our buying station there,” he added. (PNA)
