Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA) to show its readiness to buy rice directly from rice-producing provinces, saying government support should extend beyond irrigation and production to ensure farmers have a reliable market for their harvest.
The lawmaker, who heads the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, said the province-by-province procurement readiness report should show whether the government has sufficient funds, facilities, and personnel to buy rice during the upcoming harvest season.
“Bukod sa pagtulong sa ating mga magsasaka sa pagtatanim at pag-aani, dapat din nating siguraduhin na may bibili ng kanilang mga tanim na palay. Diyan dapat maging konkreto ang plano ng DA, NFA, at iba pang ahensya ng gobyerno,” he said.
“Ang tanong ng bawat magsasaka sa panahon ng anihan: Saan ako magdadala ng palay? Magkano bibilhin ang ani ko? May pondo ba? Kailan kaya ako mababayaran?,” he added.
He said the DA and NFA should present a concrete plan showing which provinces they are prepared to buy from, how much rice they can procure, what price they will offer, and how quickly they can purchase and move the farmers’ harvest to consumers.
“Kung gusto nating palakasin ang produksyon ng bigas, dapat may kasiguruhan din sa merkado. Dapat alam ng magsasaka na kapag nag-ani sila, may gobyernong handang bumili,” he stressed.
He pointed out that this is an opportune time to strengthen the implementation of the 2019 Sagip Saka Act, which allows national government agencies and local government units to directly purchase food, including rice, from farmers and fisherfolk without public bidding.
The law expands market opportunities for farmers and fisherfolk by allowing them to enter into negotiated contracts with government agencies, helping increase their incomes and enabling them to scale up production.
According to the senator, the procurement readiness report must cover all rice-producing provinces, with priority attention to areas approaching peak harvest and those experiencing sharp declines in farmgate prices.
It should include procurement targets and schedules, available funds for purchase, receiving, drying, and storage capacity, payment turnaround, and actual purchases against targets.
The procurement report must likewise be transparent and predictable, allowing farmers to make informed decisions on their planting and production plans.
Pangilinan said that building a system where the government connects food producers to assured markets would strengthen the country’s food security agenda.
“Ang tunay na food security ay hindi lang sapat ang supply. Dapat kumikita rin ang magsasaka na siyang gumagawa ng supply na yan,” he added.