The National Food Authority in Surigao del Sur (NFA-SDS) has deployed a mobile procurement pickup team to directly buy fresh palay products from farmers across the province for the harvest season in the last quarter of this year.

In an interview on Tuesday, NFA-SDS information officer Carl Josef Paqueo said the team started its operations last week in San Miguel town and Tandag City.

“The team is deployed as the need arises meaning, if there will be coordination from farmers’ groups and associations requesting to pick up their harvests for NFA procurement,” Paqueo said.

He said 22 sacks of fresh palay were so far picked up in San Miguel town, while seven sacks in Barangay Maitum, Tandag City.

Rice harvest in the province, he said, is not yet in full swing, as only a small group of rice farmers have begun their harvest.

On Monday, a member of the Maitum Farmers Association made a coordination with the NFA-SDS to pick up his rice harvest.

The association president, Rex Fernandez, said the scheme is a “big relief” for their members as they would no longer burdened by the transportation of their harvests to the market, especially at the NFA.

He said more palay harvests would be available for pickup in the coming days with the start of the full harvest in their barangay. (PNA)