Bago City Enhances Support for Local Farmers with Additional Palay Buying Price Premium

BAGO CITY, Negros Occidental – The City of Bago has recently made a significant move to support its local farmers by handing over PHP200,000 to the National Food Authority (NFA), aiming to boost the buying price of palay (unhusked rice) by an additional PHP1 per kilogram. This initiative will elevate the price received by farmers for their clean and dry palay to PHP24 per kg., which is PHP1 higher than the current NFA buying price of PHP23 per kg.

According to Philippines News Agency, the fund turnover is part of a collaboration under the Palay Marketing Assistance Program for Legislators and Local Government Units (PALLGU) Program. The ceremony, which took place at the mayor’s office, saw the NFA-Negros Occidental branch manager, Glenda Gonzales-Paz, expressing gratitude towards Mayor Nicholas Yulo and the City Council for their participation in the program. “Rest assured, when the prices of palay drop, there is the NFA as the farmers’ ready market during harvest season,” Gonzales-Paz emphasized.

The check was received by assistant branch manager John Alvarez from Mayor Yulo, with the city’s agriculturist-designate Marvin John Blance also present. The memorandum of agreement for the PALLGU Program was signed by Yulo and Gonzales-Paz in December of the previous year, marking Bago City’s commitment to the welfare of its agricultural community.

Gonzales-Paz further explained that Bago City farmers wishing to benefit from the additional premium can deliver their produce directly to the NFA or make use of the mobile procurement service. This service offers to haul from the farmers’ locations to designated warehouses, ensuring ease and accessibility for the farmers to avail themselves of the enhanced price.

Bago City is recognized as the top rice-producing local government unit (LGU) in Negros Occidental. It stands as the third locality within the region to engage with the NFA-Negros Occidental for the implementation of the PALLGU Program, following Sipalay City and the municipality of Valladolid, which have also contributed funds to increase the palay buying price for their farmers.