CABANATUAN CITY – Rogelio Ringgor, a farmer since 1972, would admit he prefers selling his produce to the National Food Authority (NFA) to take advantage of the government’s P17-a-kilo support price.
But after spending some P50,000 for his two-hectare rain-fed farm in Kalikid Sur, this city, he was left with no option but to sell the golden grains to private traders at a little over P13 a kilo.
“Kailangan kasing bayaran kaagad ang utang. Kung hindi, yung tubo ay tutubo pa,” said the farmer when interviewd by Punto! while tending to the palay being dried in a paved unfinished road in the village.
The cost of inputs he used, Mang Rogelio explained, was borrowed at 10% interest from an individual usurer. Failure to pay the amount in time of harvest would mean another increase in interest, he said.
This as Edelino Alejandro, manager of NFA-Nueva Ecija, admitted the agency has incurred a payable of about P30 million for some 25,000 bags delivered to the agency by local farmers. He was quick to add, however, it won’t take so long to settle it.
Alejandro said farmers selling their palay to NFA take a long queue almost everyday. They have also established buying stations in strategic places throughout the province purposely to cater the need of the farmers in the far flung communities.
Ito De Dios, another farmer, has sold palay to the NFA. He was actually happy about the relatively high price but said the government procurement program could benefit the small farmers more if paid outright.
He said that if the delivery costs P100,000 up, it would usually take up to ten days before the check payment is released.
“Hindi naman mahirap ang proseso, basta may passbook ka, kaya lang talagang kailangang maghintay,” he said.
Like Mang Rogelio and Mang Ito, farmers interviewed by Punto! said things can be much better if the NFA can institute a system where payments are released immediately to farmers.
The NFA target procurement this harvest season is placed at 600,000 bags, Alejandro said. It requires about P480 million budget he added.
The harvest peaks this month.
