DA NFA TARLAC UNCEASINGLY PROCURING PALAY TO FARMERS
The National Food Authority Tarlac Provincial Office continuously procuring locally-produced palay at a price of PHP19/kilo which is far higher than the prevailing price in private trading.
The allocated fund for NFA Tarlac under Rice Procurement Program is 361,000,000 pesos equivalent to 380,000 bags of palay.
Around 1000 farmers and 150 cooperatives applied for passbook from NFA Tarlac last year.
As of November 5, 2020, NFA Tarlac was able to procured 541,000 bags of palay.
According to the Station Manager of NFA Tarlac Me-Ann Cenon, out of 10 buying stations, 8 are filled to capacity.
However, they already planned to mill their stocks of palay grains to provide more warehouse spaces in preparation for more incoming farmers selling their produce.
Cenon also added that if all buying stations or warehouses will reach their total capacity, they will be able to lease two more private warehouses in order to cater all the farmers of Tarlac.
Meanwhile, they also have mobile procurement and providing trucking services,” Nag-iischedule po kami ng pick-up sa mga malalayong lugar. Sa kasalukuyan po ay meron po kaming apat na truck na imiikot. Nakikipagcoordinate po kami sa mga kooperatiba at barangay para ma-ensure na pagdating naming doon ay may mga palay pong mabibili at nakaready ang mga ani ng magsasaka. Libre lang po at walang bayad ang trucking services po naming at hinihingi lang po namin ay as much as possible ay mapuno ang ating mga truck”, Cenon explained.
In case the rice farmer does not achieve the maximum 14% moisture content of palay, the NFA Tarlac has solar and mechanical dryers in Concepcion and Aguso that the farmers can dry their palay as long as the dryers are available.
Farmer Virginia Millet of Sta. Ines, Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac, shared her gratefulness towards the palay procurement of NFA Tarlac, ”Nakapagbenta ako nung una ng 94 cavans, noong pangalawa ay 140 at ngayon po ay 170 cavans. Sa halagang 19 pesos kada kilo po ang binenta naming palay dahil maganda naman po ang aming ani dito. Salamat sa NFA kasi nakakatulong sa mga tao, lalo na kaming mga farmers kasi kami hirap na hirap kami sa gastusin lalu na kung sa commercial ka magbebenta. Nalulugi ang mga farmers. Kaya talagang may kita kami kung sa NFA ibebenta”, Millet exclaimed.
Moreover, Manager of Amia Cruz Farmers Association from Cruz, Victoria, Tarlac Elpidio Pascua expressed gratitude towards Department of Agriculture particularly to National Food Authority by giving them a chance to trade their produce and to earn more income through its Palay Procurement Program.
“Maraming salamat po sa lubos na tulong ninyo sa aming mga magsasaka. Kami po ay nakapagbenta na ng mahigit 2000 bags ng palay at sa mahigit 100 myembro po ang nakinabang dito. Kaya sa mga kapwa ko magsasaka magbenta napo sa NFA para kakakuha ng mataas na presyo”, he said.
Manager Cenon said that the stations can accommodate walk-in individuals but as much as possible NFA Tarlac encourages farmers to set their schedule of delivery.###
Writer: Ernesto Y. Payawal
Photographer: Danica Jen P. Jino