NFA resumes palay procurement at PHP18-24/kg to support farmers

The National Food Authority (NFA) has resumed palay procurement to support local farmers amid low traders' prices, which have dropped as low as PHP11.50 per kilogram.

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson stated that the agency's buying price is set at PHP18/kg for fresh and wet palay and PHP24/kg for clean and dry palay.

The NFA has opened a 70,000-ton capacity warehouse in Malolos, Bulacan, to store palay from local farmers and fulfill its mandate of securing a reliable rice buffer stock.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. assured close monitoring through regular visits to NFA warehouses to protect farmers from unreasonable buying prices during the tail-end of the harvest season.

The NFA has procured 90 trucks this year and aims to distribute an additional 500 trucks next year in major rice-producing areas, including Bulacan, to help alleviate logistics costs for local farmers.