DAVAO CITY — Rice farmers of Davao del Norte are now enjoying P16 per kilo of rice after the provincial government decided to facilitate and capacitate the rice farmers to attain a quality dried palay and sell the same to the National Food Authority
This after, Governor Edwin I. Jubahib offered to intervene to buy the produce from the farmers lay down a a scheme to help the rice farmers as rice prices drop in the local market.
Jubahib in an interview with Newsline.ph said “I cannot close my eyes rice farmers are demoralized the traders buy their produce at P11/kilo and the sales is not even enough to cover their loans during the planting stage, so, I offered to buy rice directly from the farmers, but along the way we development a better scheme—we collaborate.”
The collaboration was made among stakeholders, the Philippine National Police deployed 50 personnel, same number with the Armed Forces of the Philippines,the Office of the Governor 30 and the Provincial Agriculturist Office, an agreement was reached that the personnel will help in collecting the rice from the communities and bring it to the mechanized driers locate din the towns of Sto Tomas and Asuncion and the same personnel help in the drying procedure.
The provincial government has 5 mechanized dryers and some private traders offered to dry the produce at P1 per kilo, aside from that the government established a solar dryer t the provincial sports complex Jubahib revealed.
As of Friday, the provincial government has about a dozed of mechanized driers.
“We even cause the repair of some unserviceable driers to meet the require number of driers,” Jubahibd added.
Under the scheme, Jubahib said “The farmers sell their produce to the NFA because we intervene in the transport of their produce to the NFA facility using the vehicles of the Philippine Army, so, the farmers enjoy a good price, it is P16/kilo.”
The P5 price difference is leap to the farmers plight who are now selling their produce at a higher price.
The project started on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 and todate, it has facilitated the the sale of at least 25,000 kilos or 25 metric tons of rice from the farmers.
While farmers whose produce range from five (5) to ten (10) sacks are facilitated up to the driers and their produce are sold in bulk at the NFA.
The provincial government allotted P2.4-million for the mobilization, food and transport for the volunteers.
