Province sets P299-M rice buy
'This is one platform where we can give importance to our farmers to sell their rice produce directly to the government.'
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'This is one platform where we can give importance to our farmers to sell their rice produce directly to the government.'
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ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo provincial government will spend P299 million to buy locally produced rice directly from farmers’ cooperatives and associations, creating a government-backed market for local producers while providing food assistance to 83,000 vulnerable households.
The fund, sourced from the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), will augment rice distribution in all 42 municipalities and Passi City.
Geron Magbanua, acting head of the Provincial Agriculture Office, said the province completed its pre-negotiation conference Thursday with farmers’ cooperatives and associations interested in supplying the rice.
The province will procure rice from cooperatives and associations registered under the Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Information System (FFEDIS) through negotiated procurement allowed under the Sagip Saka Act.
Winning suppliers will deliver the rice directly to the 43 local government units (LGUs).
“This is one platform where we can give importance to our farmers to sell their rice produce directly to the government,” Magbanua said.
Bidding is scheduled to open on 8 September, with distribution expected to begin within 30 days.
Each qualified household will receive 10 kilograms of rice per tranche, to be distributed in six tranches.
Magbanua said the provincial government will initially allocate P5 million worth of rice to each of the 43 LGUs, with the remaining funds distributed based on population.
The allocation is separate from the P5 million in LGSF already provided by the national government to each LGU for rice distribution.
The program is also expected to provide farmers with a more direct market for their harvest by linking them to government procurement.
Magbanua encouraged farmers with available rice stocks to coordinate with their respective LGUs. FFEDIS-accredited cooperatives and associations may also identify potential suppliers.
He urged cooperatives and associations to buy farmers’ stocks at reasonable prices.
Magbanua assured beneficiaries that the rice will be sourced locally and will comply with government quality and safety standards.
“The rice will come from our local source,” he said.
