The Department of Agriculture (DA) led the send-off of 35,000 bags of rice from Occidental Mindoro to Central Visayas, in fulfillment of the orders placed by the Cebu province for the P20-per-kilogram rice.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. had inspected the quality of the second shipment of rice from Mindoro, which was part of the 100,000 50-kg sacks ordered by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia for distribution across the province.
The first batch of 35,000 bags arrived three weeks ago, as Cebu and other provinces agreed to co-subsidize the P20/kg rice program in their respective jurisdictions.
Tiu Laurel also met with local farmers in the Occidental Mindoro Region and discussed with them the National Food Authority’s (NFA) buying price of P18 per kg for fresh palay and up to P24 per kg for dry palay. Private traders, he told farmers, have only been buying at P13.50 to P18 per kg, against an estimated production cost of P12 to P14 per kg.
“By clearing space in our NFA warehouses, we are making room to buy more palay from you, our beloved farmers. Here in Mindoro, a vital rice-producing province in Southern Tagalog, you deserve not just recognition, but fair prices that truly reflect your hard work and sacrifice,” the DA secretary told the farmers.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson assured farmers of the government’s efforts to expand the national storage capacity, with repairs already completed on nine warehouses that could hold up to 455,000 sacks.
Lacson said that in Mindoro, repairs to another warehouse were nearly complete as of Monday. The new warehouse would help ease congestion and allow for increased palay procurement, he said.
NFA warehouses across Occidental Mindoro Island will have a total storage capacity of 1,079,000 bags upon the completion of repairs, Lacson said.
As of May 30, the NFA said that its Occidental Mindoro branch has bought 405,219 bags, nearly double the target procurement of 228,000 bags of palay, and 10 percent of the estimated local harvest of 3.98 million bags.
