In pursuit of its policy not to buy wet unhusked rice or palay, the National Food Authority (NFA) will teach farmers how to properly dry them.
Osmundo Guinto, Jr., NFA provincial manager, said they are not buying wet palay because it will easily deteriorate compared to those that had been dry.
The mandate of the agency is for buffer stocking so dry palay is needed because it will last for nine months stored in their warehouse, he said.
Guinto said the agency has policies that govern the use of its mechanical drying machines located in Narra and Brooke’s Point town.
“Ang edge ng Palawan ay hindi siya nakapaglalabas ng bigas dito basta-basta for the reason na mas mataas ang magiging presyo ng bigas kung ilalabas mo pa ng Palawan kaya kumbaga, saturated namin yong market dito, pwede namin siya i-saturate lahat. Pangalawa, ang mga farmer dito ay very cooperative at saka may mga Sikat Saka programs dito na usually ang ibinabayad nila sa NFA ay palay kaya kumbaga, starting to that contention ay tingin ko mukhang maganda ang aming magiging procurement operation this coming main crop,” he pointed out.
NFA Palawan procured 23, 569 sacks of palay during the last quarter of 2018 up to the second week of July 2019.
Its warehouse currently stores 20,895 bags of rice.
