The three programs under President’s Grains Marketing Assistance (PGMA) are the Farmers as Rice Distributors (FAD), Farmers as Importers of Special Rice (FAISR) and Farmers as Rice Importers (FAI) which were launched through the initiatives of Sarmiento and NFA Administrator Arthur Yap.
Sarmiento, who is also the chairman of the NFA council, said these programs have opened opportunities to willing and capable farmers' cooperatives to participate and learn the intricacies of the rice trading business and earn income as well. Such attention and recognition now being given to farmers cooperatives by traders and financiers have never been experienced in the rural areas since the creation of cooperative movement several decades ago, according to Sarmiento.
He added that other cooperatives which were skeptical of the programs are now beginning to appreciate the sincerity of President Arroyo in the economic empowerment of the farmers.
More than 1,300 farmers' cooperatives have participated in the rice distribution and importation of special rice programs for 2002. These cooperatives are now linked with the trading world in a much favorable negotiating position, Sarmiento said. These groups are even asking that the programs be made as a regular service provided by the NFA to farmers.
In the 2003 FAI program, farmers' groups are given a two-week lead time to open letters of credit, wherein they can open LCs from Jan. 16 to 31 for the first quarter rice import volume and from April 1-15 for the second quarter.
Sarmiento said the NFA, under the leadership of President Arroyo, will continue to adopt pro-farmer programs to enable farmers to increase their income so they can afford the necessary investments for agricultural modernization. – Nestor Etolle