The National Food Authority (NFA) has reopened several warehouses across the country to intensify its palay procurement efforts and protect farmers from low buying prices offered by unscrupulous traders.
In a Radyo Pilipinas interview on Thursday, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said warehouses in Bulacan, Zamboanga, and Cagayan Valley are now operational, including the facility in Maytika, Malolos, which can hold up to 70,000 bags of palay.
“Even though the renovation is not 100 percent complete when we looked at it, we inspected it, and it is ready, let’s reopen it so that we can receive palay from Bulacan and neighboring provinces,” Lacson said.
He emphasized that reopening these facilities allows the NFA to absorb more local harvests, help farmers get fair prices, and build up buffer stocks. The agency currently buys fresh palay at PHP18 to PHP19 per kilo—significantly higher than the PHP12 to PHP13 some traders offer. For dry palay, the NFA pays PHP24 per kilo.
“So yung mga ganoong pamamaraan ang ating isinasagawa sa ngayon at ng makuha natin yung mga palay na magsasaka na hindi barat, hindi mababa ang presyo,” Lacson added.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who visited the Malolos warehouse on Wednesday, expressed concern over reports of palay being bought for as low as PHP11 per kilo in some regions and vowed to ensure fair farm gate prices. He also highlighted that unstable prices hinder long-term planning and food security.
To further enhance operations, the NFA distributed 14 new trucks to its branches nationwide. The agency is also proposing a PHP27 billion budget for 2025, up from PHP19 billion this year, to strengthen procurement and food security efforts.
As of now, NFA holds over 414,000 metric tons of rice—enough for 11 days of consumption—with a target to reach the 15-day buffer stock as required under the Rice Tariffication Law.
Meanwhile, Lacson announced that the agency is expanding access to its PHP20 “Benteng Bigas” program for minimum wage earners, in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The NFA is also pushing for amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law to allow it to sell rice directly to consumers for better market control.
