By Stephanie Sevillano
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday said it is investigating alleged unscrupulous traders who may have taken advantage of local rice farmers amid the peak harvest season.
This came after reports of procurement from local farmers went as low as PHP13 per kilogram to PHP15 per kg of palay (unhusked rice) in select areas in Luzon.
This is significantly lower than the National Food Authority’s (NFA) price range set at PHP18 to PHP24 for clean and dry palay.
“Iniimbestigahan na ng opisina ng DA kung sino iyong mga traders na bumili na iyon (The office of the DA is already investigating these traders who procured at that price) because we have to identify them. Basically, may imbestigasyon na nangyayari ngayon (there’s an ongoing probe),” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a Palace press briefing.
“Naghahanap kami ng paraan na legally, baka maglabas kami ng (We are exploring ways legally, perhaps we could issue a) policy in the future, pero pinag-aaralan pa (but this is still under study).”
Tiu Laurel also cited the DA’s plan to set a floor price to help protect farmers from unscrupulous traders.
“The idea is, set a floor price. Sa ibang bansa, mayroong mga ganoong patakaran (there’s similar policies), like India and other countries. So, we are studying the best practices sa iba’t ibang bansa (in different countries),” he said.
In Luzon alone, Tiu Laurel said 32 locations were identified to have a low buying price range.
In a separate list he shared with the Philippine News Agency, the lowest reported traders’ buying price as of April 30 was logged in Bataan, at PHP13.50 per kg, according to the NFA.
Other areas with PHP14 per kg price include Cagayan, Allacapan, Kalinga, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, and Quirino in Cagayan Valley; Compostela Valley in Southern Mindanao; and Sultan Kudarat in Central Mindanao.
Tiu Laurel, meanwhile, said they will prioritize these areas as well as other locations with low traders’ buying prices in the NFA’s palay procurement for the next harvest season.
The NFA is mandated to secure the country’s 15-day national rice buffer stock for times of calamities and disasters through palay procurement from local farmers. (PNA)
