The Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) has commended the Surigao del Norte provincial government for its recently launched program to buy palay from local farmers at premium prices.

In a statement Thursday, DA-13 Regional Executive Director Arlan Mangelen said the initiative guarantees better prices for palay while ensuring food security during calamities.

On Wednesday, Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers and Mangelen inaugurated the Sagip Saka Program: Palay Procurement Project, with a funding allocation of PHP5.82 million.

Under the program, three farmer cooperatives will manage buying stations in strategic areas across the province.

The first station, managed by the Trinidad Multi-Purpose Cooperative, will cover Surigao City and the municipalities of Tagana-an, Sison, San Francisco, and Malimono. The second station, overseen by the Alipao Multi-Purpose Cooperative, will service the towns of Alegria, Mainit, and Tubod. The third station, under the San Isidro Multi-Purpose Cooperative, will handle Claver, Gigaquit, Bacuag, and Placer.

Mangelen noted that the program allows cooperatives to purchase palay directly from farmers at PHP35 per kilo. The palay will be milled and stored as buffer stocks for emergencies, with some of the milled rice distributed to government institutions such as hospitals and jails.

“This initiative will provide significant support to our rice farmers and help improve food security in Surigao del Norte,” Mangelen said. (PNA)