CABANATUAN CITY – The government’s food agency continues to field its men and machinery amid apprehension it would fail to meet procurement target this season due to high palay prices, a ranking official of the National Food Authority (NHA) said yesterday.
Edelino Alejandro, manager of the NFA in Nueva Ecija, said that while the government buys locally produce unhusked rice at the government support price of P17 a kilo plus incentives, private traders buy them at practically higher prices these days.
“Because of the devastation brought by the recent typhoons to rice in nearby provinces, palay buyers from those affected areas go to Nueva Ecija and compete with local traders, thus command higher price,” said Alejandro.
However, while it is true that with rice of sound moisture content and quality, the so-called ‘Class B’ rice are sold at only about P7 a kilo.
Alejandro said that upon orders from the regional office, procurement teams are sent to various municipalities, particularly those affected by typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.” He said four mobile trucks were sent to the towns of Penaranda, Gen. Tinio, Sto. Domingo, Licab, Quezon, Gen. Natividad, Rizal and Llanera.
It also opened its solar dryers in cozy sites such as Cabanatuan City and Guimba, Nueva Ecija for free drying for farmers whose harvests were affected by floods and heavy rains. “Our mechanical dryers are working 24 hours a day,” he stressed.,
Prior to the weather disturbances, the Nueva Ecija provincial office projected to buy at least 10,000 bags of palay per day. But the strong market prices, only an average of 1,600 bags of palay are delivered to its warehouses on day to day basis.
Records showed the agency had only bought 28,000 bags of palay since the harvests started on August. Farmers’ cooperatives continue to patronize NFA, it was also reported.
Alejandro however said that the main goal of the NFA’s support price is to stabilize the grains in the private market. “So we see the present condition as good as it serves our farmers well,” the official added.
Edelino Alejandro, manager of the NFA in Nueva Ecija, said that while the government buys locally produce unhusked rice at the government support price of P17 a kilo plus incentives, private traders buy them at practically higher prices these days.
“Because of the devastation brought by the recent typhoons to rice in nearby provinces, palay buyers from those affected areas go to Nueva Ecija and compete with local traders, thus command higher price,” said Alejandro.
However, while it is true that with rice of sound moisture content and quality, the so-called ‘Class B’ rice are sold at only about P7 a kilo.
Alejandro said that upon orders from the regional office, procurement teams are sent to various municipalities, particularly those affected by typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.” He said four mobile trucks were sent to the towns of Penaranda, Gen. Tinio, Sto. Domingo, Licab, Quezon, Gen. Natividad, Rizal and Llanera.
It also opened its solar dryers in cozy sites such as Cabanatuan City and Guimba, Nueva Ecija for free drying for farmers whose harvests were affected by floods and heavy rains. “Our mechanical dryers are working 24 hours a day,” he stressed.,
Prior to the weather disturbances, the Nueva Ecija provincial office projected to buy at least 10,000 bags of palay per day. But the strong market prices, only an average of 1,600 bags of palay are delivered to its warehouses on day to day basis.
Records showed the agency had only bought 28,000 bags of palay since the harvests started on August. Farmers’ cooperatives continue to patronize NFA, it was also reported.
Alejandro however said that the main goal of the NFA’s support price is to stabilize the grains in the private market. “So we see the present condition as good as it serves our farmers well,” the official added.
