NFA Initiative to Increase Buying Price for Palay Supported by Group

ARISE or the Alliance for Resilience, Sustainability, and Empowerment backing the National Food Authority (NFA)’s initiative to increase the buying price for palay or unhusked rice to allow farmers to earn.

The NFA is also looking into additional funding to possibly boost the buying price of palay from ₱19 per kilo to ₱20-21 per kilo.

ARISE released a statement saying that increasing the price of palay would give opportunities for the local farmers to earn as they deal with the proliferating practice of importation done by the government and private traders.

This additional funding will help this struggling sector cope and pave the way for improved buffer stock, said the group.

Arze Glipo, ARISE Convenor and Director, has mentioned that they were hoping that the additional funds being sought by NFA would be given by the local government units (LGUs) and the legislators.

Glipo has mentioned that the LGUs will know where to find sources for the funding as the Land Bank of the Philippines has already voiced its interest to lend farmer associations for this proposal.

An ARISE farmer has shared that the increase of ₱1-2 “will not hurt the purse of our legislators or the LGUs.”

In the change that the NFA will increase the buying price of cleaned and dried palay to ₱22 and 25, the farmers at the very least will earn not less than ₱10 per kilo.

“Anything less than P22 would badly hurt the farmers,” said Crop Science Expert and Professor Ted Mendoza.

Source: Philstar