The National Food Authority (NFA) is encouraging rice farmers in Negros Occidental to avail of the higher buying price of palay (unhusked rice) of P23 per kilogram being offered by the government.

Glenda Gonzales-Paz, provincial manager of NFA-Negros Occidental, said yesterday they are procuring palay in all buying stations across the province.

The P23 per kilo is being offered for clean and dry palay at 14 percent moisture content.

Previously, the buying price was pegged at P19 per kilo, and then P4 has been added for buffer stocking incentives, making the current price at P23.

In Negros Occidental, the NFA has buying stations located in the cities of Bacolod and San Carlos, and the municipalities of Valladolid and Ilog.

“We are buying all year round. As long as it is beneficial for farmers, we need to buy from them for our buffer stocks,” Gonzales-Paz said.

Since the P23 per kilo buying price took effect on September 20, the NFA-Negros Occidental has already procured about 6,000 bags of palay.

Gonzales-Paz said that after the NFA started procuring rice at P23 per kilo, there are reports that some rice traders in the neighboring Panay Island have been buying palay for as much as P25 per kilo to secure the farmers’ stocks.

“The bottom line is, it would be an advantage for farmers as they will have a higher income,” she added.

In September, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is the concurrent agriculture secretary, announced that the buying price of dry palay has been increased to P23 from P19, while wet palay will be from P16 to P19 to give Filipino farmers a better income. (PNA)