DA to NFA: Ensure quality of P20 kilo rice

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May 19, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has directed regional managers and key officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure that rice to be retailed at P20 per kilo is of high quality.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who chairs the NFA Council, said the subsidized rice program provides the agency with an opportunity to change public perception of NFA rice, which has long been associated with poor quality.

“This is our chance to change how people view NFA rice,” he said recently.

“We want to show that the rice we provide to those in need is not only affordable, but also tasty, nutritious, and just as good as, if not better than, some imported varieties,” he said.

The agriculture chief emphasized that the rice being distributed reflects the quality of produce from local farmers.

Under the Rice Tariffication Law, the NFA no longer imports rice but focuses instead on domestic procurement to support farmers and stabilize prices.

Tiu Laurel also instructed NFA managers to monitor areas where traders may be buying rice at unreasonably low prices, as part of efforts to protect farmers and guide future procurement efforts in the next harvest season.

He stressed that President Marcos is determined to ensure the rice subsidy program supports both consumers and producers, and not being exploited by unscrupulous traders.

Marcos earlier directed the DA to expand the subsidized rice initiative and sustain the P20-per-kilo pricing through the end of his term in June 2028.

To boost procurement, the NFA is increasing its truck fleet and expanding storage and drying facilities, particularly in remote farming areas.

The NFA still has over P9.8 billion available for palay purchases this year – enough to produce around five million 50-kilo bags of rice.

The NFA currently holds an inventory equivalent to eight million bags of rice, with half of the stock acquired in the first four months of 2025.

‘P20 kilo rice promise fulfilled’

Speaker Martin Romualdez said the P20 per kilo rice program should remind Filipinos of President Marcos’ fulfillment of his campaign promise to make rice very affordable to all Filipinos.

“This is not a one-time rollout. This is the beginning of a national transformation. President Marcos is showing us that with political will and smart budgeting, P20 per kilo of rice is not just possible  – it’s happening,” Romualdez said.

“We will allocate the necessary funds to scale this program nationwide through the 2026 General Appropriations Act. This kind of ayuda (financial aid) uplifts everyone – consumers, farmers and the economy,” he added.

Critics have pointed out, however, that the promise referred to market-driven regular retail prices and not to heavily subsidized rice, which will cost taxpayers billions of pesos.

Several former DA officials and industry players have said that bringing down the retail price of rice to P20 per kilo under normal market circumstances is not possible any time soon.

Local Price Coordinating Councils

Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that 1,350 local government units (LGUs) have reactivated their Local Price Coordinating Councils (LPCCs) to help monitor the supply and prices of rice and other key commodities.

The DILG said that its field offices reported that 1,269 LGUs are now conducting regular market inspections, 230 have deputized barangay officials and civil society groups to monitor price spikes, and 1,201 are coordinating with national agencies to address hoarding and unjustified price hikes.

Under Memorandum Circular 2025-044, the DILG is directing all LGUs to activate their LPCCs, following the recommendation of the National Price Coordinating Council and aligned with the DA’s Bantay Presyo initiative. — Rainier Allan Ronda, Delon Porcalla