BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Agriculture is considering raising the buying price of palay (unhusked rice) to support the national government’s PHP20-per-kilo rice program.
In a media interview during the program’s launch recently at the Burgos Public Market here, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the agency is eyeing an increase in the National Food Authority’s budget to allow it to buy palay directly from farmers at fair prices.
He said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is pushing to double or even triple the NFA’s budget so it can purchase more rice from local farmers at the right price.
The current NFA buying price stands at PHP24 per kilo, which Laurel noted is already high.
He said a system is being developed in time for the October to November harvest season.
The rollout plan should be finalized within one to two months, he added.
Under existing budget and laws, the NFA can only buy about 5 percent of total palay production.
With proposed legal revisions, the agency could be allowed to buy and sell rice simultaneously.
“Even without an added budget, this could allow us to reach 10 percent,” Laurel said.
If the budget is doubled, the NFA could buy up to 30 percent of total palay production, which would greatly help farmers, he added.
“Huwag isipin na kaawa-awa sila,” he said, referring to the farmers.
He emphasized that the DA’s mandate is to prioritize farmers and fisherfolk, but it must also serve consumers.
“We have to serve the public while also protecting our farmers,” he said.
Laurel said the rice program is widely supported, citing the long queues of residents waiting to receive their allotted PHP20-per-kilo rice during the launch.
He noted that the rice program holds the largest annual budget within the DA and will run through 2028.
The program also benefits farmers, who will be eligible to buy PHP20-per-kilo rice starting next year or possibly sooner.
The budget for palay procurement is also expected to grow in the coming years, he added.
He said the President has instructed that the program be implemented as soon as possible and sustained from 2026 to 2028 to ensure stable supply.
In the coming weeks, Laurel said he will visit Siquijor, Bohol and Iloilo, as well as NFA warehouses and local farms, to consult farmers and explain the program in detail.
He stressed that the rice being distributed is grown by Filipino farmers and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to the program, especially for the benefit of low-income communities. (Glazyl Jopson via tdg)