Farmers are happy with the decision of the National Food Authority Council chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to increase the buying price of palay this harvest season.

Raul Ramon, 64 years old and a father to a lawyer, a policeman and a doctor and owns 54 hectares of rice field in Barangay New Ilocos in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, said that he is happy on the price adjustment per kilo of palay regardless of whether it is wet or dry.

Ramon said that normally, in Magsaysay town, they sell their wet palay right away to private traders who offer them P22.00 per kilo of palay. His rice land yields around 90 to 100 sacks of palay per hectare.

adjustment to their income in terms of incentives given to them by Mr. Ramon, which can be used in paying their debts.

“In the past, they used to deduct a portion from our debts.  With the price adjustment on palay, we can fully pay these and save money for the consumption of the family,” Lojeco said.

On the other hand, NFA-Davao del Sur branch manager Janet Linao said they are now preparing for the new buying prices for wet and dry palay following the directive of the NFAC.

“It means the wet palay has an incentive price at P3.00 per kilo while the dry palay has an incentive price from the government at P4.00 per kilo,” Linao said.

“It is clear that the farmers will have a reprieve brought about by the adjustment of the new price of palay,” she said, adding that this buying price adjustment is in response to the changing production and market conditions with the aim to improve the farmers’ income and to ensure the sufficient supply of the staple. 

She said they are ready to implement the policy on the farm gate price of palay per kilo both wet and dry.

Meanwhile, Department of Agriculture XI technical director for operations Marela Corpuz said that there is an evident adjustment on the price of regular milled rice at P37.00 and well milled rice at P45.00 in Davao Region.

She said that the Executive Order No. 39 capping the price of rice in the market has a significant effect in the market in terms of compliance, noting that the regular milled rice and the well milled rice are the rice varieties widely used by the masses.

She said  it has a different production cost compared to the regular milled rice and well milled rice that are widely used by the masses. 

Ambulant vendor Irene Sanchez, who is a mother of two children, said the directive of Pres. Marcos Jr. to put a price cap on rice has helped them so much.

With their meager daily income, the lowering of price on well milled and regular price of rice is already a big help to her family, who is consuming 10 kilograms of rice weekly. ( JSGD/PIA Davao del Sur/Photos from NFA XI)