DA begins release of NFA rice stocks for food security emergency

The Department of Agriculture (DA) began releasing Wednesday the National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice stocks to local government units (LGUs) weeks after the declaration of food security emergency, which prompted the grains agency to open its warehouses and sell its stocks in a bid to tame retail prices of the staple.

Marking the start of the rice stocks release, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. officially handed over supplies to San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, who also serves as the president of the Metro Manila Council.

Based on the DA Circular No. 04, series of 2025, the NFA rice stocks allocation for Metro Manila stands at 150,000 bags a month.

“This is just the beginning. We expect more local government units to participate in this effort, which will benefit not only Filipino consumers but also rice farmers,” said Tiu Laurel, who also chairs the NFA Council.

Under the DA’s Circular No. 4, a total of 625,600 bags of NFA rice stocks were set aside for distribution due to the food security emergency declaration.

The breakdown of allocation is as follows:

• Region IV - 47,000 bags
• Region V - 38,600
• Region VI - 58,000
• Region VII - 50,000
• Region VIII - 18,000
• Region IX - 21,000
• Region X - 20,000
• Region XI - 19,000
• Region XII - 36,000
• National Capital Region (including Cavite and Rizal) - 293,000
• BARMM - 5,000
• CARAGA - 20,000

“With the P9 billion allocated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for NFA’s rice procurement this year, and the remaining funds from last year’s record purchases, we aim to buy even more palay from farmers,” Tiu Laurel said.

The Agriculture chief said the DA is doubling down its efforts to unload rice stocks in NFA warehouses to give the grains agency more space to procure rice from local farmers.

The NFA Council last year raised the palay procurement price range to P23 to P30 per kilo for clean and dry rice, and P17 per kilo for wet palay.

Previously, prices ranged from P16 to P23 per kilo.

On February 3, following the recommendation of the National Price Coordinating Council, the DA declared a food security emergency to stabilize rice prices.

The surge in rice prices was triggered by India's ban on the export of non-basmati rice in August 2023 and heightened global demand due to concerns about low harvests from El Niño in early 2024.

The declaration will allow the NFA to sell its buffer stocks to the public to tame the retail prices of the grain.

The stocks will be released through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), and will then be sold to the public at a price of P35 per kilo, among the cheapest available, as the government seeks to lower prices of rice to levels seen prior to the spike recorded in June and July 2023.

In Bernadette Reyes’ Wednesday report on “24 Oras,” 67 local government units (LGUs) said they will buy NFA rice to be sold to the public.

The DA also warned rice sellers against selling NFA rice beyond P35 per kilo.

“Delikado 'yan dahil baka ibenta 'yan ng mas mataas kasama na 'yan sa ano ng LGU na imomitor. Depende na sa LGU paano nila ikocontrol 'yan but ideally one sack per person. Kung kukunin mo 'yan bebenta mo ng P40 or P38 tingin ko mali na 'yon di ba?” Tiu Laurel said.

(The LGUs will monitor the sale of rice. It depends on how they will control it, but ideally one sack per person. I think it is wrong to sell NFA rice at P38 or P40 per kilo.)

Despite Marcos' decision to reduce rice tariffs from 35% to 15% in July, and global rice prices softening after India lifted the export ban in September, imported rice prices have not returned to pre-July 2023 level, according to the DA. — with Mariel Celine Serquiña/RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News