The City of Bago in Negros Occidental turned over PHP200,000 to the National Food Authority (NFA) for an additional premium of PHP1 for every kilogram (kg.) of palay (unhusked rice) sold by farmers.

Under the partnership, Bago City farmers will get PHP24 per kg., higher by PHP1 than the NFA buying price of PHP23 per kg., for clean and dry palay.

NFA-Negros Occidental branch manager Glenda Gonzales-Paz on Tuesday thanked Mayor Nicholas Yulo and the City Council for adopting the Palay Marketing Assistance Program for Legislators and Local Government Units (PALLGU) Program.

“Rest assured, when the prices of palay drop, there is the NFA as the farmers’ ready market during harvest season,” Gonzales-Paz told the Philippine News Agency.

Assistant branch manager John Alvarez received the check from Yulo in the presence of city agriculturist-designate Marvin John Blance at the mayor’s office on Monday.

Yulo and Gonzales-Paz signed a memorandum of agreement for the program in December last year.

Gonzales-Paz said that to avail of the additional premium, Bago City farmers can deliver their produce to the NFA or utilize the mobile procurement service by coordinating with their office for hauling from their location to designated warehouses.

Bago City, the top rice-producing LGU in Negros Occidental, is the third locality to have entered into an agreement with the NFA-Negros Occidental for the implementation of the PALLGU Program.

Last year, Sipalay City turned over the amount of PHP600,000 to add a premium of PHP3 per kg. to the NFA support price, and the municipality of Valladolid allocated PHP200,000 for PHP1 per kg. as an additional premium. (PNA)