DA seeks NBI probe into incidents involving some rice farmers in Nueva Ecija

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in looking into claims of unfortunate incidents, circulating on social media, involving some farmers in Nueva Ecija which were allegedly triggered by the slump in palay prices.

In a statement on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. expressed concern over how “some groups” characterized the alleged "unfortunate incidents." 

Tiu Laurel said that such claims contradict the official accounts from law enforcement agencies and the DA’s own investigative reports, “including statements from the families of the deceased.”

The Agriculture chief sent a letter to the NBI on Monday seeking a thorough investigation into the matter as he hoped it would uncover the truth behind the alleged unfortunate fate of at least three Nueva Ecija rice farmers.

“Let us allow these families to grieve in peace. We will provide any assistance necessary,” he said.

Tiu Laurel also emphasized the challenges faced by the National Food Authority (NFA), which has been purchasing palay at P18 per kilo for fresh harvests and P24 per kilo for clean, dry grains. 

Despite raising the NFA’s palay buying price, Tiu Laurel said that the grains agency is “unable to buy significant volumes from farmers” due to budget limitations.

Moreover, the DA chief noted that the grains agency’s regulatory powers have been stripped, hindering its ability to manage rice inventories effectively through regular sales to the public.

“With its limited authority, the NFA cannot intervene in the market effectively, leaving traders room to suppress palay prices,” Tiu Laurel said, adding that “this has led to the current farmgate prices dropping to as low as P14 per kilo.”

The Agriculture chief said that the decline in local prices was tied to a global market correction. 

He explained that for over two years, global rice prices were at their highest, driven by India’s ban on non-basmati rice exports in August 2023 —it lifted in September last year— as well as an increased global demand seen in 2024 due to anticipated supply shortages caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

Tiu Laurel said that, amid the challenges, the government is doing everything possible within legal limits and available resources to protect farmers’ livelihoods, while also balancing the welfare of consumers. 

He urged lawmakers to pass legislation that would better empower the DA to address issues similar issues.

“We are doing this with one hand tied behind our back. We need some of the NFA’s powers back—if not to the agency itself, then to the DA—to better address the challenges we face,” Tiu Laurel said.

“The NFA also needs additional resources to buy a larger volume of palay—around 20% of the supply—to influence market prices,” he said.

To support local producers, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson had encouraged farmers in Regions I, II, and III to sell their harvests directly to the agency, which has raised its buying price to P19 per kilo for fresh palay in those regions.

In accordance with its mandate, under the Rice Tariffication law, the NFA is tasked with maintaining a 15-day buffer stock of rice, equivalent to 555,000 metric tons. 

To achieve this, the agency will need to procure 880,000 metric tons of palay, with about one-third of that expected to come from the dry season harvest, according to the DA chief.—AOL, GMA Integrated News