Daily TribuneUnless revised by the NFA Council, our ceiling price for clean and dry palay will stay at P30 a kilo.
Profit spread A farmer in Masinloc, Zambales uses the time-tested sun-drying method for his palay (unmilled rice) harvest, either for sale commercially or as buffer stock for the National Food Authority.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANALY LABOR FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE@tribunephl_ana
Even as the government sells rice to the poorest and neediest of the population, the National Food Authority (NFA) on Saturday said it will maintain the buying price for palay (unmilled rice) at P30 per kilo, which favors farmers.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the price ceiling for clean and dry palay will remain at P30 per kilo. “Unless revised by the NFA Council, our ceiling price for clean and dry palay will stay at P30 a kilo,” he said.
Price range raised
Lacson said that to compete more effectively with private traders, the NFA Council adjusted the palay buying price in mid-April to a new range of P17 to P30 per kilo, up from P16 to P23 a kilo.
According to Lacson, several NFA Council members are visiting the southern Philippines to hold discussions with farmers and NFA employees.
In a meeting with farmers’ cooperatives and irrigators’ associations in Davao Oriental in one instance, they reportedly assessed the facilities and rice inventory managed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and said the NFA is legally obligated to maintain a national buffer stock of rice to ensure its availability in emergencies.
By the end of the first half of 2024, the NFA had achieved a record procurement of 3.5 million tons of palay.
Lacson acknowledged the logistical issues encountered by farmers’ cooperatives and announced plans to acquire vehicles to transport stocks from farms directly to warehouses, a measure that is included in the proposed 2025 budget.
With this, he outlined NFA’s modernization plan, which involves acquiring post-harvest facilities such as dryers and rice mills to boost rice processing capacity and efficiency.
Lacson said the NFA will collaborate with farmers and industry stakeholders to address challenges and enhance agricultural practices and livelihoods nationwide.
He said such efforts will help farmers maximize the earnings from their hard work.
