• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
An association of rice farmers in Negros Occidental assisted by the provincial government in their rice production took the initiative of sharing their blessings by selling their produced rice at P25 per kilo.
The “Bigas ng Bayan” stall opened yesterday at the Food Terminal Market of Negros Occidental at North Capitol Road in Bacolod City, in launching rites attended by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
Pedro Limpangog, president of Federation of Irrigators Associations of Central Negros-Bago River Irrigation System (FIACN-BRIS), said they are allocating five kilos of rice for individual buyers to accommodate more Negrense families.
He added they aim “to help Negrense families, especially the vulnerable sectors, buy affordable rice, and at the same time help farmers have an assured income and lower the cost and improve farm production.”
“This is our way of repaying the help of the provincial government,” Limpangog said, adding that stocks will be replenished.
Priority consumers for the P25 per kilo of rice are senior citizens, indigents and persons with disabilities.
Citing the good track record of FIACN-BRIS, the provincial government hired job order (JO) workers who are also farmers for its rice sufficiency program.
Lacson said the JOs have been paid P12,000 a month to plant rice and operate farm equipment and machinery to assist rice farmers badly affected by natural calamities, especially flooding. Lacson said he was surprised when he was informed by FIACN-BRIS that they are allocating 10 percent of their rice production to sell it to the public at P25 per kilo.
“I couldn’t imagine that this group of farmers are willing to sell at that price knowing their plight. They struggle year in, year out. But they are willing to share it with the community. (It’s) because of high inflation the prices of rice are high,” Lacson said.
Benitez, who also thanked the rice farmers for their generosity, said he had a discussion with the regional office of the Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas, on how to continue the program at the farmers’ level. | GB
