NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (PIA)--As part of the National Food Authority (NFA)-Misamis Oriental’s efforts to boost buffer stocks to respond to the need for immediate distribution during calamities and other disasters in the province, the NFA-Misamis Oriental held another ‘Ugnayan’ to persuade farmers of the Naawan Farmer-Irrigators Association (NAFIA) to sell their harvested palay which offers a palay support price of P19.00 per kilogram, March 10.

During the Ugnayan, the NFA's Palay Procurement Program was discussed which started with a comparison between the NFA mandates before and after the promulgation of the Rice Tariffication Law in 2019. Through the Procurement Program, the NFA directly buys palay from farmers, farmer organizations, or cooperatives at a set support price to ensure the producers will have a ready market for their harvest with reasonable pricing.

Demonstrations on determining moisture content and purity and on the use of Equivalent Net Weight Factor Table were held alongside free pick-up schemes, free solar dying facility, and payment system.

The NFA-Misamis Oriental procurement team expressed its hope for future deliveries from NAFIA and recognized the vital role of farmers in maintaining an optimum level of buffer stocks for the country. (NFA/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)