The National Food Authority is conducting intensive buying of corn in major producing regions as the agency keeps its commitment to buy as much of the local produce, a press release from the NFA and the Department of Agriculture said.

NFA  administrator  Jessup  Navarro said in the press release that the NFA is targeting to buy 4.6 million  bags  of  yellow  corn grains equivalent  to P2.8 billion and 1.3 million  bags  of white corn grains  worth  P892 million until December this year.

Navarro said that by the end of July, cumulative corn procurement of NFA has already reached 383,426 bags or an equivalent of 19,171 metric tons.

Main harvest for corn usually begins in August and peaks until November, but harvest in some areas last until the first week of January the following year, the press release said.

Intensive buying of yellow corn is ongoing in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. For the white corn variety, procurement is ongoing in the Ilocos regions, Northern and Central Mindanao.

In all these regions, farmers are enjoying a high ex-farm price averaging P15.11 and P10.62, respectively, for white and yellow corn varieties, Navarro said.

With  the  government  focusing  on  domestic  corn  buying, aside from the support  price  of  P12..30  per  kilogram,  the  NFA,  Navarro saidm, is also granting  additional  incentives  of  P0.20  per  kg  each  for  drying and transport  and  another  P  0.30  per kg for cooperative development.

"We are confident that at this buying price, the farmers will have better income and this will entice them to sell their produce to the agency," Navarro said in the press release.

He likewise noted that since it has been some years since the NFA stopped buying corn, some farmers have yet to familiarize themselves delivering their produce once again to the agency.*

back to top