The National Food Authority (NFA) Council on Thursday approved a more competitive price range for wet and dry palay (unhusked rice) to increase its buffer stock amid the tail-end of the harvest season.

This is equivalent to a PHP23 to PHP30/kg. price range for dry and clean palay, from the current PHP19 to PHP23/kg.; and PHP17 to PHP23/kg. price range for fresh palay, from the current PHP16 to PHP19/kg.

In an interview, Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the move would help NFA reach the country’s 300,000 metric tons (MT) of national rice buffer stock.

“Kung titingnan kasi natin iyong nabibili ng NFA ngayon talagang kokonti (If we look at the volume that the NFA has bought, it’s really low),” he said.

According to the DA’s monitoring, the prevailing farmgate price of palay is at PHP25/kg while the national average is pegged at PHP26.9/kg.

“So, kung ang buying price ni NFA is PHP23, talagang wala siyang mabibili (If your buying price is PHP23, you cannot really buy) or very minimal… So, tinaasan ng konti para makahabol iyong NFA doon sa presyo na ino-offer ng trader sa ngayon (it was slightly increased so that the NFA can level of traders’ offer),” de Mesa added.

Meanwhile, the NFA expressed optimism in boosting its procurement as its purchased volume remains low at 6 percent of the total target.

“With this price range na binigay sa atin ng council (that the council has granted us), we are confident na iyong mga lugar na meron pang hina-harvest ngayon, marami tayong nakukuha (that we can secure many [volume] in areas that are still harvesting),” NFA officer-in-charge Larry Lacson said.

Lacson said the NFA targets to implement the higher price range by next week after issuing a formal written order.

Buying price bulletin

Lacson, meanwhile, said the NFA shall release a buying price bulletin, with prices varying per area.

“In terms of the price range, hindi ibig sabihin iyong highest agad iyong ating buying price. Imo-monitor natin lahat ng buying price nationwide (it doesn’t mean that the highest price is going to be the buying price. We will monitor all the buying prices nationwide)… We will issue a price bulletin for each province,” he said.

De Mesa said this would ensure fair play with traders and millers nationwide.

“May mga probinsya na mababa ang price, so tatapatan lang iyong presyo doon, sa mga lugar na mataas. Para lang magkaroon ng stocks si NFA (There are provinces with low prices, so we will just level on that, even in areas with high [prices]. So that the NFA will have stocks),” he said.

Besides increasing the buying price for the procurement of NFA buffer stock, the NFA Council also announced other developments including the allocation of a PHP10 billion fund for the modernization of post-harvest facilities and the new process of NFA stock disposal. (PNA)