Villar, Binay mull increase of NFA’s buying price of palay

PHOTO BY RICHARD BALONGLONG/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

The Senate committee of agriculture and food called for an immediate action to increase the buying price of palay (unhusked rice) from the local farmers in order to solve the issue on rice shortage of the National Food Authority (NFA).

Senator Nancy Binay proposed to the NFA Council on Tuesday a P3 increase on the buying price of palay per kilogram from its current price of P17.

“Hindi ho ba pwedeng compromise ngayon? Baka pwedeng payagan niyo yung NFA na bumili na mas mataas sa P17? Kahit ngayong harvest season lang, dahil nga ang importation ay papasok sa June pa?” Binay asked the Senate committee.

(Can’t we have a compromise? Maybe have NFA buy it higher than P17? Even just for the harvest season, since the importation will come in June?)

“Because lumalabas na hindi kayang bilhin at 17. So baka pwede naman hong payagan na bumili sila at 18 or at 20,” she added.

(Because it seems that it can’t be bought at P17. So maybe let’s have them buy it at P18 or P20.)

Senator Cynthia Villar, chair of the committee, supported the motion of Binay but said that it should be only a peso increase to avoid an increase to the other commodity products.

“I don’t think it’s too abrupt ‘yung 20, kasi three over 17, 20 percent naman ‘yun, but maybe we can consider 18,” Villar said.

“We cannot recommend yung ganung kalaking increase kasi ang tatamaan niyan lahat ng produkto. Kapag masyado mong inano yung inflation, hindi lang bigas kundi lahat ng produkto tatamaan,” the senator added.

(We can’t recommend that much of an increase because it will affect all the other products. If inflation rises, not only will the price of rice increase, but also all other products.)

Despite this, Villar agreed that increasing the buying price is the “most immediate solution” to solve the problem on rice shortage. /je