Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to aggressively procure palay, the National Food Authority (NFA) has significantly increased its rice buffer stock, reaching its highest level since 2020.
During a press briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced that the NFA currently holds a total inventory of 10.1 million bags of palay and 1.2 million bags of milled rice. This substantial reserve, according to Castro, is sufficient to cover the nation’s rice consumption for ten days.
“According to NFA Administrator Larry Lacson, the agency has a remaining budget of ₱12 billion allocated for the continuous procurement of palay throughout the ongoing summer harvest,” Castro stated.
The Palace Press Officer emphasized the NFA’s commitment to its dual mandate of consistently purchasing rice to support local farmers and ensuring a stable and affordable rice supply for the public. “The NFA further underscored that this continuous palay procurement not only benefits our farmers but also contributes to providing more affordable rice options for our citizens,” she added.
This development aligns with the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) recent announcement of the PhP20/kilo rice program, designed to provide affordable staple food to millions of vulnerable families. This initiative is also expected to alleviate storage pressures in NFA warehouses, enabling the agency to procure even more palay from local farmers at potentially better prices.
Initially slated to conclude in December 2025, the DA is currently reassessing and refining the PhP20/kilo rice program. This review follows President Marcos’ instruction to expand the initiative nationwide and sustain it through 2028, indicating a long-term commitment to food security and farmer support.
