The government has allocated a total of P256.5 billion under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2026 to modernize the country’s agriculture sector, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The proposed budget for prioritizing the agriculture sector remains anchored on one of the pillars of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, specifically in Transforming Production Sectors to Generate More Quality Jobs and Competitive Products.
“A total of P256.5 billion will be used to strengthen our agriculture sector in 2026. Of this amount, P153.9 billion will finance the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies; P45.1 billion for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and P17.4 billion for the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), among others,” the President said in his budget message.
DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the proposed budget for the industry in 2026 will support the administration’s continuous push to ensure food security and promote inclusive growth, as directed by the president, especially in the wake of a series of natural calamities this year, including the magnitude 6.9 quake felt in Cebu and nearby provinces.
For 2026, DA’s National Rice Program (NRP) has been increased to P29.9 billion, up by 38 percent from the P21.7 billion budget in 2025. The NRP, aimed at strengthening farm productivity, provides fertilizers with quality inbred and hybrid rice seeds that will help local farmers boost their crop yields.
Meanwhile, the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which supports rice competitiveness and income of rice farmers, will receive P30 billion to fund the modernization of farm machinery and equipment, development, propagation and promotion of rice seeds, and other priority programs, activities and projects that will most effectively promote farmers’ productivity, supply resiliency and address food security emergency situations on rice due to supply shortage or extraordinary increase in prices.
The Rice for All Program of the DA, which includes the Benteng Bigas Meron Na program, will be given P10 billion to further expand access to affordable rice at public markets and KADIWA sites, to be procured from various sources including, but not limited to accredited individual farmers’ cooperatives and associations, government agencies such as the National Food Authority and the National Irrigation Administration; from local rice suppliers; or strategic importation, provided that importation shall be allowed when the necessity arises.
The Buffer Stocking Program will be allotted P11.2 billion. Of this amount, P9 billion will be used to procure 300,000 metric tons of palay to be used during crises, such as emergencies and disasters. Meanwhile, the amount of P2.177 billion is intended to cover the direct costs related to the palay procurement such as conversion of palay to rice (milling), the transfer of palay or rice (dispersal), and the distribution of rice to intended users/beneficiaries.
The National Livestock Program will receive P3.8 billion, while the National Fisheries Program will receive P9.3 billion.
The Sugarcane Industry Development Program will be allotted P1 billion to enhance sugar production beyond 2 million metric tons of sugar annually.
Other national programs of the DA to receive continuous funding next year include the National Corn Program with P6.7 billion; National High Value Crops Development Program with P2.1 billion; National Organic Agriculture Program with P1 billion; and National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program with P391 million.
To expand access to affordable agricultural products and provide a direct link between farmers and consumers, the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita Program has been allocated P250 million.
Meanwhile, the President also stated that a total of P2.1 billion will be invested to pioneer a national agricultural food hub in Clark, Pampanga, which will serve as a storage and processing center for farmers and traders.
A total of P16 billion will also go to the construction of 1,067 kilometers of Farm-to-Market Roads to reduce the transportation and logistics costs needed to transport agricultural products to and from farms, production areas and markets.
The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Scale-Up will get P9.98 billion to increase investments in agriculture by building more infrastructures, such as farm-to-market roads and value chain rural infrastructure.
