MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Thursday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA) to demonstrate their readiness to buy rice directly from rice-producing provinces, saying government support should go beyond helping farmers produce their crops to ensuring they have a reliable market for their harvest.
Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, said the government should prepare a province-by-province procurement readiness report showing whether it has sufficient funds, facilities and personnel to purchase rice during the upcoming harvest season.
“Aside from helping our farmers with planting and harvesting, we must also ensure that there is someone ready to buy their palay. This is where the DA, NFA and other government agencies need to have a concrete plan,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
“Every farmer asks the same questions during harvest season: Where will I bring my palay? How much will my harvest be bought for? Is there funding? When will I be paid?” he added.
Pangilinan said the DA and NFA should present a concrete plan identifying the provinces where they are prepared to procure rice, the volume they can buy, the price they will offer, and how quickly they can purchase, process and move farmers’ harvests to consumers.
“If we want to strengthen rice production, there must also be certainty in the market. Farmers should know that when they harvest, the government will be ready to buy,” he said.
