The National Food Authority (NFA) aims to reach 100 percent drying capacity for the country’s rice buffer stock by December 2026, a significant jump from the current 12 percent for procured palay.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson stated that the goal is achievable. “We will be 100 percent capacity, meaning kaya na naming tuyuin ‘yung bibilhin na namin na target (we can dry the palay that we are targeting to buy). We’re filling up the 88 percent difference through this modernization,” he said in an ambush interview on Friday during the launch of a tonnage bag system in Nueva Ecija.
The NFA plans to buy 900,000 metric tons of palay from local farmers to maintain a 15-day national rice buffer for emergencies and calamities.
Lacson noted that several modernized rice processing centers are being prepared, with inaugurations starting mid-2026 and all sites operational by year-end. “Mag-uumpisa tayong mag-inaugurate by the middle of next year, and we will finish all sites by year-end,” he said.
This initiative supports the government’s efforts to boost food security and cut post-harvest losses.