MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Swamped with palay (unhusked rice) sold by farmers, the National Food Authority is running out of sacks and warehouses in which to store the grains, an NFA manager in Pangasinan said.

Ramon Cuaresma, NFA manager in western Pangasinan, said his office has opened three warehouses in Mangaldan and Lingayen towns and Alaminos and Dagupan cities to store the grains bought from local farmers.

Cuaresma said the warehouses in San Carlos City and Mangatarem, where farmers harvested palay earlier, have been filled, prompting the agency to look for more warehouses in the city.

He said the NFA ran out of sacks and asked farmers to either donate the sacks to the agency or sell them for P5 (new) or P3 (used).

But the farmers said a new sack costs P12 and donating or selling them to the NFA at lower prices would mean income losses to them.

10 percent

Cuaresma said they ran out of storage space and facilities this time because the agency has to buy more grains from the farmers this year.

During a recent meeting with farmers groups, President Macapagal-Arroyo asked the NFA to buy 10 percent of the total annual harvest of local farmers.

Cuaresma said the NFA does not usually buy palay in August and September, but the agency has already bought 68,000 bags (at 50 kilograms each) during those months. It bought at least 125,000 bags in October.

Cuaresma said the NFA has bought at least 200,000 bags of palay worth P186 million.

He placed the NFA’s daily purchase at 6,000 to 7,000 bags.