Keeping palay prices fair, expanding the P20-per-kilo rice program and fast-tracking farm-to-market roads will be the Department of Agriculture’s biggest tests heading into 2026, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
Tiu Laurel said the priorities are central to sustaining rice production, keeping food affordable and improving farmers’ market access. The most urgent concern, he added, is ensuring palay prices remain fair and rice farming stays profitable.
The DA will continue the National Food Authority’s palay procurement during the summer harvest at P17 per kilo for wet palay and P21 per kilo for dry palay. The agency is also coordinating with rice industry stakeholders to manage import volumes and prevent imports from pushing farmgate prices down.
In September, the president ordered a freeze on rice imports, later extended through December, after excessive imports dragged farmgate prices down to as low as P8 per kilo. The import pause capped rice shipments at about 3.5 million metric tons in 2025, which Tiu Laurel said was more appropriate than the 4.8 million metric tons imported in 2024.
Another major challenge is the full rollout of the P20-per-kilo rice program under “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” The government plans to expand the program to reach up to 15 million households, or around 60 million Filipinos. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the DA to sustain the program until the end of his term in June 2028.
“Next year will mark the full implementation of the P20 rice program. We believe we are ready, but it is easier said than done,” Tiu Laurel said.
Expanding the program will require adequate buffer stocks, efficient logistics and close coordination with local governments to avoid supply disruptions or leakages.
A third challenge in 2026 is implementing around P33 billion in farm-to-market road projects recently transferred to the DA. These are expected to move forward once the General Appropriations Act is released.
Tiu Laurel noted the DA is starting from scratch after years of farm-to-market road construction being handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways. Given the tight timelines, the agency has been holding near-daily coordination meetings.
The DA said it is confident it can deliver the projects at costs up to 20 percent lower than in previous years, extending market access to more farms nationwide.
