The National Food Authority (NFA) on Thursday imposed stricter rules on its palay (unhusked rice) procurement to ensure transparency and to help more local farmers.

This came after the NFA received reports that some “traders” are benefiting from the NFA’s palay procurement instead of farmers.

In a Zoom interview, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the new rules include provisions that promote transparency.

“We can say, naghihigpit tayo but ang pinaka-main element nito ay (we are getting stricter but the main element of this is) we have increased transparency in terms of our palay procurement to at least iyong agam-agam ng ating mga kababayan na sinasabing traders daw ang nakikinabang (allay the worries of our fellow countrymen who are saying that traders are the ones benefiting),” he said, citing the directive’s immediate effectivity.

Under the new buying rules, only farmers registered in the government’s official farmers’ registry (Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture) or those with a certificate from the local government can sell palay to the NFA at a 100 50-kilogram-bag limit for each harvest season or 200 bags annually, regardless of registered hectarage per farmer.

“Sa ating mga magsasaka (For our farmers) who previously enjoyed more than a hundred [bags], pagtulung-tulungan po natin ito. Marami po tayong mga kasamahang magsasaka na nahihirapan sa ngayon para lang maparami natin yung mga makikinabang na magsasaka (let’s help each other. We have a lot of fellow farmers who are struggling now, so that we can increase more farmer-beneficiaries),” Lacson said.

“Kung maibenta ninyo ang kalahati o 100 bags at PHP24 at iyong 100 bags ninyong natira, naibenta niyo at PHP16, so mag-a-average pa rin kayo (If you sell the half or 100 bags at PHP24 and the remaining 100 bags at PHP16, then you will still average) at PHP20 per kilo.”

He said it is still higher than the PHP14 per kilogram cost of production.

Other features include the disclosure of farmers’ lists alongside the volume of their palay sold based on the monthly submission of NFA offices.

These lists shall be posted on the NFA bulletin boards in warehouses, offices, and even on the agency’s official Facebook page, with the consent of farmers.

“We will also post their name para merong counter-checking. Masasabi nila, ah, ito lehitimong magsasaka ito (So they can say that these are legitimate farmers),” Lacson said.

A “special table” shall also be placed in NFA warehouses so that other farmer groups or representatives can observe the actual buying process, he added.

Besides these, Lacson said NFA personnel will also check if local farmers truly “stored” their harvests in their places before allowing their delivery to NFA warehouses for procurement.

The palay buying will also be monitored, securing daily updates on delivery, including farmers’ names, vehicle plate numbers, and time of arrival.

Lacson, meanwhile, warned that erring “traders” and NFA personnel shall face sanctions from the NFA.

“Iyong sa mga magsasaka or nanamantala na mga mapapatunayan na mga (For farmers who will be proven to take advantage or proven to be) traders or FCAs (farmer cooperatives and associations) na trader din, well, i-blacklist natin sila para hindi na sila makapag-transact sa atin (that are also traders, well, we will blacklist them so they cannot transact with the NFA again),” he said.

He added NFA personnel who are found violating may face suspension or dismissal from service. (PNA)