Manila, April 25 -- The national rice buffer stock is now good for 10 days amid the palay (unhusked rice) procurement from the local farmers, the National Food Authority (NFA) said Friday.

Data from the NFA showed that the 10-day buffer stock is equivalent to 7.56 million bags of milled rice, which is considered the highest volume since the end of 2020.

In a statement, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson vowed to continue the buying of palay to support local farmers.

"We still have about PHP12 billion allocated for palay procurement, and we intend to maximize purchases during the ongoing summer harvest," he said.

The NFA has been buying palay from local farmers at prices ranging from PHP18 to PHP24 per kilogram amid the harvest season.

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