NFA allocates P26-M for EO-512
Bacolod City -- The National Food Authority in Negros Occidental allocated P26 million to start its sugar procurement operations in line with President Arroyo's Executive Order #512 dated March 7, 2006.
The Executive Order authorizes NFA to intervene in the procurement of sugar to provide consumers access to reasonably priced supply of sugar for the crop year 2005-2006.
Provincial Manager Gil B. Ibarra announced that the NFA shall procure "B-2" or the NFA sugar as special allocation by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) at a price of P950 per LKG. Further, it shall procure on a weekly basis starting this week until the end of March based on the "B-2" quedan as issued by mills and as approved by SRA.
Ibarra disclosed that NFA's estimated procurement of 3,476 metric tons for the month of February and March 2006. NFA provincial office will buy about 1,411 metric tons from different sugar mills in the province.
The procurement will be on the following mills with the respective volume per metric tons led by VICTORIAS 393, BISCOM 221, LA CARLOTA 193, LOPEZ 174, HAWAIIAN PHILS 154, SONEDCO 97, FIRST FARMERS 81, SAGAY 77, and DACONGCOGON 21.
Moreover, NFA shall procure consolidated "B-2" quedans (block quedaning) of Planters Associations/Cooperatives. Ibarra said that sugar planters who are not members of any association/cooperative (non-affiliated) can request the SRA that quedanning of their "B-2" sugar be joined with those of any association/cooperative of their choice in order that NFA can likewise procure their sugar. For non-affiliated sugar planters who opted to join with the mill, the mill will now serve as their association, however, the local SRA should certify that their quedan is purely planter's share.
The NFA chief also emphasized that quedans to be procured shall be first endoresee quedans properly endorsed by Planters Association' representative. Also, quedans must be accompanied by a list of sugar planters per association, Ibarra added.
(NFA/PIA)