The Department of Agriculture (DA) is putting the final touches on a draft bill restoring the critical functions of the National Food Authority (NFA)—a move seen as central to stabilizing rice supply and prices in the country.
The draft legislation is closely aligned with the vision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of a food-secure Philippines, where every Filipino household has access affordable staples, especially rice.
As the cornerstone of the Filipino diet, rice holds economic, cultural, and political significance. The proposed bill reflects a strategic recalibration of government policy, reinforcing the DA’s role in safeguarding food security and reviving the NFA’s capacity to act decisively during periods of price volatility and supply disruptions.
“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,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.
The bill seeks to amend key provisions of the Rice Tariffication Law to grant certain regulatory powers to the NFA to better to manage buffer stocks, regulate rice distribution and marketing, set a floor price for palay, and support farmers’ cooperatives and recipients of the Rice Processing Systems funded under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. It will also refine protocols for a DA-led rice importation to ensure the country can respond swiftly to supply shortages and sudden spikes in commodity prices.
Critically, the measure grants the NFA greater flexibility in managing the appropriate level of buffer stock and ensuring that they are always of optimum quality—an essential tool in supporting not only the P20-per-kilo rice goal but also broader government efforts to ensure price stability and protect both producers and consumers.
“These changes will significantly address market inefficiencies and promote fairness—especially for farmers who work the land for months but remain the most disadvantaged,” said NFA Administrator Larry Lacson. “For the NFA, this means becoming more efficient, more responsive, and financially stronger.”
