BANGUED, Abra(PIA) – The National Food Authority is encouraging  rice farmers in the province of Abra to sell their palay (unhusked rice) to NFA with a current buying price of P28 per kilo.

In an interview with NFA Ilocos Norte Branch Manager Jonathan Corpuz, he announced that their buying price increased from P23 per kilo to P28 per kilo for clean and dry palay.

“Idi daytoy a lawas manipud April 22 ingga 27, ngimmato ti paggatang ti NFA kadagiti irik, P28 per kilo ti presyo isu nga gutgutugotek dagiti farmers nga ilako da dagiti apitda ti NFA”, Corpuz said.

[This week, from April 22 to 27, the buying price of NFA increased to P28 per kilo for clean and dry palay, so I encourage our farmers to sell their harvest to NFA]

He said  the price scheme was duly approved by the NFA Council on April 11, 2024, as result of buffer stocking study which determined the provinces’ prevailing prices and the procurement target.

As most Abrenian farmers go out of the province to sell their palay to more competitive buyers, Corpuz said the  NFA is reaching out to the different towns in the province to directly buy from the farmers  thru the mobile procurement operations.

“Babaen daytoy Mobile Procurement Operations, dumanon ti NFA kadagiti ili tayo ket sikami mismo ti umay manggatangen kadagiti mayat nga agilako ti irik na, maka-save da pay ti transportation expenses,” he said.

[Through this Mobile Procurement Operations, the NFA will go to the different towns  to buy directly from the farmers. This will save them transportation expenses.]

NFA’s Mobile Procurement here in Abra is tentatively set next week, starting in the farmlands of Cosili West in Bangued.

Corpuz  explained that the palay the NFA will buy will serve as buffer stocks for  the NFA Abra warehouse in times of calamities or disasters. 

He  said the NFA  is doing massive  palay procurement  to ensure adequate stocks to meet the requirements of relief agencies in the  local government units.(JDP/CAGT – PIA CAR, Abra)