Grains 1st Quarter 2013.indd - NFA

22 Across the Country
The efforts of the various Ugnayan
activities conducted last year by the
employees of Region 12 have paid-off.
In line with the motto of Sec. Proceso J.
Alcala “Bridging the Gap, Touching the
Heart and Deliver Results”, Region 12
wins back the hearts of the farmers by
showing concern/ compassion especially
in the presentation of the Enhanced Procurement
Policies with relaxed/simplified
requirements and as well as other related
Region 12
Region 12 is reaping the
efforts of “ugnayan”
PFAC-SKT OFFICERS. The Provincial Farmers Action Center (PFAC) of Sultan Kudarat in Region 12
conducted election of the new set of PFAC offi cers for the year 2012-2013 held at the Farmers Training
Center in NFA Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. Elected offi cers are the following: Joseph Ortiz, chairman; Nonito
Legayada, vice chairman; Ana Mary Odiaman, secretary; Lerma Chiva, treasurer; Rodolfo Atadero, auditor;
and Norodin Noling as PIO. (MARISSA O NUÑEZ, correspondent)
NFA Region XII held recently its
two-day Remancom Meeting held at the
Farmers’ Training Center (FTC) at the Provincial
Office in Dansuli, Isulan and at the
Sanguniang Bayan Hall of the Municipality
of Columbio, respectively.
New buying scheme... from P. 21
humay nga mahal ang presyo sa niani nga
panahon.” (It is good that NFA is here to
readily buy our produce at a much higher
price this time). The statement of Mr. Lonzaga
was made when he delivered his palay
to NFA Warehouse in Tagum City, Davao
del Norte
İt was observed that this summer
crop season, farmers in Davao del Norte
are facing difficulty in disposing their produce,
particularly if their palay or paddy
are wet or “thresher-fresh” because private
traders buy this type of palay at a price between
P13.00 to P13.50 per kilo only, while
NFA buys the same at P14.00 to P15.00
per kilo, exclusive of total buying incentives
amounting to P0.70 per kilo. Farmers
are complaining that they are shortchanged
when traders buy their palay because of the
automatic weight deduction, also locally
known as, “resekada”, which ranges from
two to eight kg per bag.
The new NFA procurement
schemes have yielded a record-breaking
performance for NFA-Davao del Norte,
since the total volume of palay bought for
this year’s summer crop which totaled to
over 40,000 bags was the highest for over
20 years taking the same cropping season.
Meanwhile, NFA-Davao del
Norte Provincial Manager Antonio C. Arañas
stressed that, “in order for the Agency
to be able to buy more palay from farmers,
programs. Small/individual farmers are
now delivering their produce to the NFA
buying stations, hence, achieving the 100%
palay procurement targets. Acting Regional
Director Raul B. Chong thanked the employees
and encouraged them to continue
what they have started by conducting continuous
and pro-active ugnayan to be able
to attain our goal in support to the Food
Staples Rice Sufficiency Program (FSSP).
(MARISSA NUÑEZ, correspondent)
NFA Sultan Kudarat hosts
Remancom meeting
Outputs from the National Planning
Conference held in NFA General Santos
City were presented by Regional Economist
Teresa Herrera, ARD Pangalian B.
Busran and RD Crestituto C. Mangaoang
(Mangaoang retired last December 2012 - ed).
it should do what the private rice traders
are doing. Otherwise, the Agency will not
be able to attain its objective of buildingup
rice buffer stocks for the food security
requirement needed, in case of any calamity
or emergency that may hit our Province.
The marching orders of the Department
of Agriculture to create rice buffer stocks
through massive and intensified local palay
procurement is in sync with the national
government’s over-all program-thrust
which is to cut rice importation and attain
rice self-sufficiency. And, this can only be
done through this innovative brand of service
to our farmers and the new procurement
schemes in place which are now the
working policy directions of the present
NFA administration”, Manager Arañas
concluded. (JEFFERSON D. CALIAO,
correspondent)
Dir. Mangaoang stressed that it is
high time that NFA be brought closer to
the hearts of the stakeholders, particularly
the palay farmers. Of the three municipalities
with high palay deliveries this season
due to series of Ugnayans, Columbio was
chosen as the venue of the 2nd Remancom
Meeting because the palay farmers in this
municipality had delivered 13,253 bags of
dried palay amounting to PhP11.6 M which
is a big infusion to the economy of the municipality.
The Municipal Level Grains Center
(MLGC) serves as the buying station of
NFA. With this purchase it has greatly contributed
to the volume of this year’s procurement.
The highlight of the Remancom
Meeting was the awarding by Dir. Mangaoang
of the certificates of appreciation
to Mayor Amirh M. Musali as host for the
use of the Sanguniang Bayan hall as venue
of the Remancom and to Municipal Agriculturist
Hector D. Nidoy for being instrumental
in encouraging the palay farmers
to deliver their produce to NFA. Likewise,
certificates of appreciation were also presented
to FO’s such as the Alip-Lumaga
CIA, Christian Fellowship Farmers Association
(CFFA) and the top eight individual
farmers.
“Instead of giving the inspirational
message, it is the other way around.
I am the one who is inspired by the gesture
of Dir. Mangaonag for holding the
1st Remancom Meeting in the Province of
Sultan Kudarat in a remote Municipality of
Columbio. Rest assured of my full support
to the NFA Programs,” Mayor Musali said.
Columbio is 55 kilometers away from the
provincial office of Sultan Kudarat at Bgy.
Dansuli, Isulan.
After the Remancom meeting, the
members proceeded to the MLGC warehouse
for a tree planting activity as part
of the NFA environment and eco-friendly
agency (MARISSA NUÑEZ, correspondent)
Volume 41 No. 1 January - March 2013