Keeping palay prices fair, expanding P20-per-kilo rice and fast-tracking farm-to-market roads will be the toughest test of the Department of Agriculture heading into 2026, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
Tiu Laurel said the priorities are critical to sustaining rice production, keeping food affordable, and improving market access for farmers.
The most urgent challenge, he said, is ensuring palay prices remain fair and rice farming stays profitable to encourage planting and secure the country’s staple food supply.
The DA will keep the National Food Authority buying palay during the summer harvest at P17 per kilo for wet palay and P21 per kilo for dry to support local farmers. It has also consulted rice industry stakeholders to rationalize import volumes and prevent imports from depressing farmgate prices.
In September, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. imposed a rice import freeze, later extended through December, after excessive imports pushed farmgate prices down to as low as 8 pesos per kilo.
The pause capped imports at about 3.5 million metric tons in 2025, which Tiu Laurel said was appropriate, compared with the 4.8 million metric tons imported in 2024.
Another key challenge is the full rollout of the 20-peso-per-kilo rice program under “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” The government plans to expand the initiative to reach up to 15 million households, or about 60 million Filipinos.
Marcos has directed the DA to craft a plan to sustain the flagship program until the end of his term in June 2028.
“Next year will mark the full implementation of the P20 rice program,” Tiu Laurel said. “We believe we are ready, but it is easier said than done.”
Expanding the program, a campaign promise of Marcos that was realized last May, will require sufficient buffer stocks, efficient logistics and close coordination with local governments to avoid supply disruptions or leakages.
The other major hurdle in 2026 is the implementation of P33 billion worth of farm-to-market road projects recently transferred to the DA following the flood control corruption controversy.
Tiu Laurel said the projects were turned over only a few months ago and are expected to move forward once the General Appropriations Act is released.
He said the DA is effectively starting from scratch after years in which farm-to-market road construction was handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“That’s a real challenge,” he said. “We have to go from zero to one hundred.”
With tight timelines, the DA has been holding near-daily coordination meetings to prepare for implementation.
“We want this done properly — transparent, corruption-free and built to the right standards of quality and durability,” Tiu Laurel said.
Farm-to-market roads are key to reducing post-harvest losses, lowering transport costs and improving market access, supporting the government’s push for affordable food, rural development and higher farm incomes.
Tiu Laurel said the DA is confident it can deliver the projects at costs up to 20% lower than in previous years, extending market access to more farms nationwide.
