By JOJO DE GUZMAN

CENTRAL Luzon farmers, who produce most of the Metro Manila food needs, attributed the rice crisis issue to the failure of the government to manage the interplay of supply and demand and the refusal of private traders to buy local harvest, which would not give them big income.

"They (local rice traders) would not buy our paddy rice. Instead they bought the cheaper NFA, which they would sell at commercial prices," said Eduardo Policarpio, chairman of farm cooperative Partners in Agriculture Technology (PART) in Cabanatuan City.

The absence of cheap rice in the market especially in urban centers, according to Policarpio, alarmed consumers. He added that many rice traders are selling the NFA rice at about P28-P30 a kilogram after labeling it as commercial rice.

Rex Estoperez, head of NFA Public Affairs department, has given assurance that the NFA is ready to meet the country's rice demand, adding that panic-buying would only push the price up. "Huwag mag-panic yung ating mga kababayan dahil pag nag-panic tayo abnormal ang ating pamimili, lalong maipu-push natin yung presyo nang mataas. We still have enough supply," Estoperez said.

He even noted that NFA is now keeping a 30-day buffer rice stock - which is twice the amount of standard buffer stock - in preparation for the "lean months" which starts July.

Farmers from Nueva Ecija's first district would enjoy higher value for their palay produce after former NFA Administrator and now Rep. Eduardo Nonato N. Joson shelled out portion of his congressional fund to increase the government's support price by at least P2 a kilo.

Joson signed on Monday a memorandum of agreement with NFA Regional Director, Engineer Nicolas Crisostomo, for the provision of initial amount of P250,000 under the Palay Marketing Assistance Program for Legislators and Local Government Units.

The MOA provides, among others, that from the P250,000 premium provided by Joson's office, P2 shall be added to the existing per kilo NFA support price when buying from individual farmers or farmers' organizations.

Earlier reports showed that rice consumers are unable to buy the cheap NFA rice, bought at P18 a kg in many markets in Luzon in the past two weeks.

"Merong 15-day buffer stock, yung ang standard natin, at any given time. Yun ang food security stock. We are preparing for the lean months which starts on July, 30-day buffer stock tayo ngayon," Estoperez emphasized.