THE NATIONAL Food Authority (NFA) on Monday, April 13, announced the procurement of palay (unhusked rice) at a higher price to support Filipino farmers amid rising production costs.
Under the flexible Price Range Scheme (PRICERS), the agency began buying clean and dry palay at P30 per kilogram in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the effort seeks to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on rice producers amid the peak harvest season.
“Makakatulong ito na mabawi ng magsasaka ‘yung gastos sa petrolyo,” he told the Philippine News Agency in a Viber message.
The production cost in the two provinces is estimated at P15 per kilo.
Lacson said the higher buying price will also help protect farmers from unscrupulous traders.
The higher buying prices will also allow the NFA to secure an adequate supply for the country’s national rice buffer stock in times of natural disasters and calamities, and support the government’s P20 per kilo rice under the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na!” program amid the rising demand for government-subsidized rice.
The NFA seeks to secure 790,000 metric tons or 15.8 million bags of palay to sustain the nine to 15-day national rice buffer stock requirement. (PNA)
