THE National Food Authority (NFA) will start accepting procured palay or unmilled rice bagged in farmer’s sacks, NFA Acting Administrator Larry Lacson announced yesterday, October 10.
NFA will pilot test by buying around 1.3 million bags of palay bagged in new or secondhand sacks of good quality. Lacson said the decision stemmed from complaints from farmers on delays and additional in the procurement process.
“Ang bagal ng pagbebenta dahil ililipat pa ng sako ‘yong kanilang mga palay. At the same time, nakakapag-incur pa sila ng cost,” Lacson said.
NFA assured that the quality of palay will not be affected by the new order.
“The quality is the same. Kung ang binibili natin na palay, ‘yong parameters na ginagawa natin ngayon will be the same parameters na gagamitin natin sa hindi paglilipat ng sako,” Lacson said.
As the pilot testing will start for the wet season harvest, Lacson projects the reduction of the use of NFA sacks will translate to savings for the agency of around P27 million until the end of the year.
For 2024, the NFA expects to save up to P215 million which could be used to procure additional 7700 metric tons of palay. The agency is also expanding efforts for cost-saving measures within the agency through its agreement with the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC).
Lacson told reporters that the PNOC is set to install 100-kilowatt solar panels in NFA Central Office. The agreement eyes to install a total of 5 megawatt of solar power in NFA offices and warehouses nationwide.
Lacson added that the initiative will help the agency save 10 percent of its electricity fees. The use of solar energy in NFA warehouses is a step towards modernizing post-harvest facilities, he said. (ABS-CBN News)
