AgNor LCE lauds DA-NFA’s palay procurement program

The local chief executive of Las Nieves, Agusan del Note lauded the government’s palay procurement program through the Department of Agriculture-National Food Authority (DA-NFA) for buying palay from the

By Aurelius P. Arais local farmers. “With the low buying price of the private traders, the government procurement program allows our farmers to earn more,” Mayor Avelina Rosales said. The buying price of DA-NFA is P19.00 per kilo, clean and dry, much higher than the private traders. Amielou Jane Mendoza, information officer of DA-NFA Caraga revealed that based on their monitoring, private

traders are buying from the farmers at the average price of P14.63 per kilo for fresh harvest and P16.95 per kilo for clean and dry. Rosales is grateful to NFA for establishing a buying station in their town catering to the harvest of Las Nieves rice farmers. “As our contribution to the government procurement program, the local government unit is assisting our farmers to have their fresh harvest dried in the Village Type Dryer (VTD) provided by the DA-Caraga for a very minimal fee,” Leonito Pasquito, the Municipal Agriculturist said. Farmers who will bring in their fresh harvest on the VTD will just have to pay .85 cents per kilo,

and DA-NFA will buy the dried palay, thus ensuring a sure market of farmer’s produce at a higher price. “We are so thankful to the Department of Agriculture for giving us a Village Type Dryer capable of processing both corn and rice, it is a big boost for our farmers in the locality,” Pasquito explained. Las Nieves is a recipient of two Village Type Dryer from the Department of Agriculture, one located at Brgy. Pinanaan, and another one at Brgy. Malitacato, and some Multi-Purpose Drying Pavement (MPDP) through various farmer’s association. “As of October 17, 2020, our VTD had already dried around 12,000 bags and the dried palay had been purchased by DANFA,” Pasquito revealed. He said that as the harvest of corn is also on the way, the post-harvest facility is a big boost to the locality’s agriculture sector. DA is assisting the farmers through the provision of pre and postharvest facility (PPHF) to minimize losses and maintain the quality of the products. Recently, Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo visited the project and other DA-assisted interventions to ensure continuous food production amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (DA Caraga/PIA Agusan del Norte)