The Department of Agriculture (DA) is helping draft a bill to restore the key functions of the National Food Authority (NFA) to help stabilize rice supply and prices nationwide.
“This is one of several measures House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez asked the DA to craft to help the government advance its food security agenda, particularly the program of President Marcos to sustain P20-per-kilo rice for vulnerable sectors through 2028,” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
The measure seeks to amend key provisions of the Rice Tariffication Law, restoring to the NFA select regulatory powers to effectively manage buffer stocks, regulate rice distribution and marketing, set a floor price for palay, and support farmers’ cooperatives and recipients of rice processing systems funded under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
It also aims to strengthen DA-led rice importation protocols, allowing faster responses to supply gaps and abrupt price surges.
The bill grants the NFA greater flexibility in maintaining buffer stock levels and ensuring optimal grain quality to meet the P20-rice goal and stabilize prices while protecting both farmers and consumers.
“These changes will significantly address market inefficiencies and promote fairness—especially for farmers who toil for months yet remain among the most disadvantaged,” said NFA administrator Larry Lacson.
The said changes are expected to help create an NFA that is more efficient, more responsive and financially stronger.
