Palay slumping buying price worries North Cotabato farmers

KIDAPAWAN CITY - After rubber prices slump, rice farmers in North Cotabato are now complaining of low buying price of palay.To help farmers,Agerico Baquiran, North Cotabato provincial NFA administrator, said farmers are encouraged to sell their farm produce to NFA buying station.Baquiran said the NFA is buying palay at P17 per kilo as compared to buying price of private traders which, as of Sunday, was between P11 to P14 a kilo.He said farmers who wish to sell palay to NFA are required to secure barangay clearance. It is our mandate to procure palay from farmers, so they are welcome if they so desire, Baguiran said in Filipino.Earlier, farmers have complained of slumping buying price of palay in North Cotabato's 16 municipalities.But a farmer lamented that they were forced to sell palay to traders because they have cash and input advances from them. Sana di naman masyadong mababa ang buying price ng mga trader, kung kikita sila, sana yong kikita din kami (I hope traders' buying price should be reasonable enough, they earn and we earn too), he said. Baquiran also urged farmers in North Cotabato to avail of the Sikat Ka program of the Department of Agriculture.Under the program, farmers can avail of bankloan to financefarm input but obliged to sell their palay to NFA.