Malacañang on Tuesday urged local farmers to seek local government units’ (LGUs) assistance for the direct selling of their palay (unhusked rice) to the National Food Authority (NFA).

This, as Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro clarified that the significant decline in rice prices, not rice imports, caused the drop in palay prices.

“Base po sa records po, mababa po ang importasyon natin. At hindi po totoo na dahilan po ito, iyong pagbaba po ng pagbibili sa mga magsasaka ay bumababa ang bili ng palay, hindi po dahil sa importasyon (Based on the records, our imports are low. And it is not true that this is the reason, the decrease in purchases from farmers is the decrease in the price of rice, not because of imports),” Castro said.

“Ang magiging rekomendasyon po namin ay makipagtulungan po muna ‘yung mga magsasaka doon sa local government units po, para po madala po ito sa NFA buying station (So, our recommendation would be for the farmers to coordinate with the local government units first, so that this can be brought to the NFA buying station),” she added.

Castro said the NFA’s buying price for dry palay is now set at PHP23 to PHP24 per kg.

She said the government also has a plan to purchase trucks for the direct palay buying.

“Ang problema lang po malamang ng mga farmers natin ay wala pong sasakyan (The only problem is that our farmers probably don’t have a vehicle),” Castro said. “Mayroon na po tayong ginagawang procuring po ng trucks at hindi lamang po siguro ngayon, kasi ngayon lang po nagkakaroon ng bidding. (We are already in the process of procuring trucks and maybe not just now, because the bidding process is underway).”

Castro said the procurement of trucks would benefit the farmers, as they will no longer have difficulty selling their rice to the NFA.

The Department of Agriculture earlier earmarked an additional PHP10 billion for the rehabilitation of the NFA warehouses and procurement of unhusked rice. (PNA)