The directive follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s instruction to the NFA to guarantee fair prices and boost farmer incomes during the ongoing rice harvest.
Under the new policy, only verified farmers listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) or certified by their local governments will be allowed to sell palay to the agency.
“This is to ensure that only legitimate farmers are selling to NFA and to address the allegations that traders are the ones benefitting from NFA,” said NFA Administrator Larry Lacson. “These new rules will open our palay procurement to public scrutiny.”
To enhance transparency, all NFA branches are required to post monthly reports showing names and quantities of sellers. These may also be published on NFA’s official Facebook pages with the farmers’ consent, in compliance with data privacy regulations.
Each warehouse will feature a designated area for farmers’ groups to observe the buying process.
NFA staff must verify that sellers have palay in storage before delivery and confirm that the same individuals complete the transaction. Deliveries must be logged with farmers’ names, vehicle plate numbers, and arrival times. Each transaction will also be recorded and updated daily in a Google Sheet by warehouse and region.
Farmers may sell only up to the quantity recorded in their RSBSA data or as listed by local authorities. Any attempt to sell outside of their registered area will be monitored.
NFA employees found violating the rules face penalties under the Magna Carta for Small Farmers. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
