PILI, CAMARINES SUR - - DESPITE CHANGING WEATHER patterns in this region affecting its major crops, early summer harvest for palay is reported with significant yields with the national grains agency now acquiring some 64,000 bags of palay, procured from farmer stake-holders in Camarines Sur province this month.
National Food Authority (NFA) in Cam. Sur, Operations Officer, Romeo Ocampo revealed that the early bulk of palay harvest procured by NFA came mostly from the first district and Partido district of the province, with traditional granary areas like Libmanan town having enhanced production, after restoration of irrigation facilities in some 1,500 hectares of potential rice lands.
Ocampo said that currently NFA is buying at P 17.40 per kilo for dried palay, with P 0.40 centavos as drying and delivery incentives to accredited farmer-sellers; commercial traders have set buying prices at P 13.00 for wet palay, and P 15.00 for well dry/per kilo.
NFA Cam. Sur manager Eliseo Caliwag said that in 2008 the NFA here had procured some 800,000 bags of palay comprising the majority procurement of the NFA in the entire Bikol region reaching some 1.3-Million cavans of palay.
Reportedly, NFA's procurement in this province ranked second in terms of palay procurement nationwide, while Mindoro province ranked first with some 1-Million bags of palay bought by the NFA in the said locality in 2008. (SONNY SALES)