The National Food Authority (NFA) 5 (Bicol Region) has released the updated palay buying prices for April 27 to May 3, ensuring farmers receive fair and competitive rates for their harvest.
In an online post, NFA-5 said the buying price for clean and dry palay (unhusked rice) is as high as PHP30 per kilogram in several provinces.
In Albay, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon, the buying price is set at PHP30 per kilogram; in Camarines Norte and Masbate, at PHP27 per kilogram; and in Catanduanes, at PHP25 per kilogram.
According to data obtained by the Philippine News Agency on Monday, as of April 24, NFA Bicol’s buffer stock totals 589,277 bags of palay and 86,015 bags of local rice, with each bag weighing 50 kilograms.
Under the NFA Albay Branch, the province stores 102,760 bags of palay and 24,945 bags of local rice, whereas Catanduanes has 3,412 bags of palay and 2,773 bags of local rice.
The Camarines Sur Branch, for its part, has 288,954 bags of palay and 24,628 bags of local rice, while Camarines Norte has 111,377 bags of palay and 6,524 bags of local rice.
The Sorsogon Branch reported 69,022 bags of palay and 24,231 bags of local rice for Sorsogon, and 13,753 bags of palay and 2,915 bags of local rice for Masbate.
NFA-5 encouraged farmers to use the updated price bulletin as a reference to ensure fair and orderly transactions when selling their produce.
Meanwhile, in Sorsogon, the provincial government announced the resumption of its “P20: Benteng Bigas, Meron Na” program, which offers affordable rice to residents.
The rollout is scheduled for April 29 at the back of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Building within the Capitol Compound, starting at 6 a.m.
Beneficiaries are advised to register at the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) to obtain a one-time Quick Response (QR) code for faster transactions.
Each beneficiary may purchase only five to 10 kilograms of rice per transaction. Participants are encouraged to bring their own eco-bags for convenience.
The initiative is part of the provincial government’s efforts to ensure food accessibility and affordability for Sorsoganons. (PNA)
