THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it expects the two executive orders (EOs) issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to result in price stability and guaranteed markets for farmers and fisherfolk.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. was quoted as saying in a DA statement: “These EOs should bridge that gap in product pricing and marketing that have kept our food producers, especially those at the margins, from fully enjoying the fruits of their hard work.”
EO 100 directs officials to set regional floor prices for palay (unmilled rice), while EO 101 calls for the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act to encourage enterprise development among farm and fishing cooperatives and associations.
EO 100 orders the DA and a yet-to-be-formed panel to set and adjust the palay floor price per region.
Pricing will consider production costs, market trends, and fair margins, while also factoring in emergencies, the supply of imports, and global rice prices, the DA said.
Farmers have been receiving offers from private traders for their palay that are below the cost of production. The National Food Authority buys palay at higher prices at the farmgate level, but cannot buy the entire harvest because of storage and budget constraints.
EO 100 allows national and local governments to temporarily use public facilities — such as covered courts or gymnasiums to store palay they purchase.
The floor price scheme is modeled on the system for purchasing tobacco, to ensure that farmers continue to plant tobacco, the DA said.
EO 101, meanwhile, directs all government agencies, state universities, and local governments to procure food directly from accredited farm and fisherfolk cooperatives and enterprises.
These purchases will be exempt from standard bidding procedures set out in the Government Procurement Act, the DA said.
The directive also requires the creation of Sagip Saka Desks at DA regional offices to assist producers with registration, enterprise development, and market linkages.