• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The government of Bago City, as an agricultural area, is aiming to establish its first Rice Processing Center (RPC), or a modern drying and milling facility, in adaptation of the Sagip Saka Act at Barangay Tabunan, according to City Agriculturist Marvin John Blance.
The initiative was planned during the committee hearing on agriculture on August 29, which brought together key issues and solutions to address the pressing issue of the low buying price of palay in the whole province.
The hearing, which was led by Committee Chair on Agriculture Councilor Victor Michael Javellana, alongside City Agricultural and Fisheries Council Chairman Randy Alapar, and Food Staple Sector Representative Ana Maria Guilaran, focused on laying down concrete solutions to the council to support local farmers and ensure they receive fair compensation for their harvests.
According to the data of Bago Agriculture, farmers cannot profit from the current farmgate price of palay, which only runs from P13 to P14 per kilo.
With the use of the facility, farmers can efficiently dry and process their harvest, ultimately increasing their income and strengthening the province’s rice industry.
During the discussions, strategies to stabilize market prices, provide direct farmer assistance, and explore new agricultural technologies to improve yield and profitability were also tackled.
Blance disclosed that the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bago City will pass a resolution that will provide agricultural subsidies to the farmers who were directly affected by the low price of palay.
He added that the committee will be having a series of meetings with the National Food Authority to discuss the buying of clean and dry palay, as well as the planned establishment of the RPC.
Moreover, they will also conduct a dialogue with the millers and traders in the city to have an agreement regarding the issue.
Present in the said hearing were Committee Members, Councilors Jake Patrick Torres and Joseph Colmenares, Vice Mayor Andrew Martin Torres, and City Agriculturist Marvin John Blance.
The harvest season in the province of Negros Occidental normally starts in August, with peak harvesting projected between September and October, according to Department of Agriculture Negros Island Region Director Engr. Jose Albert Barrogo.*
