During a visit to the NFA warehouse in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. joined farmers in an informal huddle and announced that the government is considering a floor price for palay, similar to what is practiced in the tobacco industry in the Ilocos Region.
“Pinag-aaralan namin na magkaroon ng floor price (sa palay) para wala naman malugi,” said the President. “Kapag kasi masyado malikot ang presyo, hindi makapag-plano ng maayos.”
He emphasized that the government wants farmers to earn enough to sustain their planting intentions, especially with stronger support from the Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the current rice situation has highlighted the need to restore certain powers of the NFA taken away by the Rice Tariffication Law, particularly that which allows it to sell rice directly to the public to stabilize prices.
NFA Administrator Lacson said that additional palay stocks are being taken out of the San Ildefonso warehouse, which has a capacity of around 116,000 50-kilo bags, to be milled for the P20 rice program as well as to make space for the palay being brought by farmers from Bulacan and nearby towns of Pampanga. “We are now doubling, even tripling, our efforts to repair 134 warehouses in preparation to more aggressive palay procurement during the next harvest season,” he said.
Currently, the NFA buys dried palay at P24 per kilo and freshly harvested palay at P19—well above the P11-P13 per kilo price offered by some private traders. ### (Photos by Jay Morales, DA-OSEC)
