The National Food Authority (NFA) started on Friday, October 17, pilot testing a 1-tonner bagging system for palay, aiming to reduce storage costs, increase warehousing capacity, and improve grain quality preservation.
“This is part of our broader effort to upgrade NFA’s storage capacity with minimal cost to the government,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., who also chairs the NFA Council. “By maximizing existing warehouse space, we can procure more palay from farmers and help address post-harvest losses.”
The initiative is aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of building a modern, efficient agricultural system that ensures food security and delivers better income for Filipino farmers.
According to NFA Administrator Larry Lacson, the pilot test will begin in at least three warehouses nationwide. “This trial will provide us with critical data to determine whether the technology is viable for broader implementation,” he said.
Currently, the NFA operates more than 300 warehouses across the country. Some of these facilities are already undergoing upgrades to accommodate larger volumes of palay and milled rice, and possibly corn if legislative amendments are passed.
The 1-tonner bagging system offers several advantages over traditional methods. Aside from reducing storage and transport costs, the airtight bags help preserve grain quality by protecting against moisture, heat, insects, and rodents. It also simplifies segregation of grain types, enhance pest control, and reduce pressure on physical storage infrastructure.
Lacson estimates that using the new system could boost warehouse capacity by up to 30 percent—a gain that could result in faster returns on investment.
“There will also be savings in manpower, fumigation, and sack costs,” he added.
The NFA currently spends around P15.00 per printed sack and an additional cost per bag for labor. At full capacity, an NFA warehouse with maximum of eight (8) piles can store up to 55,440 bags of 50-kg, highlighting the potential scale of savings and efficiency improvements the new system of tonner bag utilization.
