NFA sticking to palay procurement target of 20-M bags
The National Food Authority (NFA) is sticking to its plan to buy 20 million bags of palay this year, up from 2008’s 30-year high of 13.2 million bags, in step with President Arroyo’s massive procurement program that aims to increase farmers’ incomes and reduce the country’s rice imports.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the NFA will maintain this higher procurement volume following the dramatic growth of the palay subsector in the first quarter, with production increasing by 5.13 percent from just 1.96 percent during the same period last year.
“We are sticking to this higher palay procurement target because, if the strong performance of this subsector in the first quarter is any indication, then we expect this year’s total harvest volume to surpass the 2008 level,” Yap said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects this year’s national palay production to surpass the record yield of 16.82 million metric tons in 2008, with the summer harvest alone likely to reach 7.3 million MT this year, or 2.8 percent higher than the year-ago volume of 7.1 million MT.
“This is because of the fast-track implementation of the restoration and rehabilitation of irrigation systems and intensified cultivation of both hybrid and inbred rice certified seeds nationwide,” said Dr. Frisco Malabanan, who is national coordinator of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program.
“As for the seed intervention, certified seeds cultivation have already outpaced the previous season’s performance with more than 557,373 hectares expansion (2008 dry season vs. 2009 dry season),” he said. (PNA)