The Department of Agriculture (DA) is proposing the return of the government’s grains purchasing power to include corn and milled rice, in addition to palay or unmilled rice, as another major step to strengthen the country’s food security. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel has been...
Despite a bulk of subsidies provided to the National Food Authority (NFA) in the second quarter, the total financial support received by government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) still declined in the first six months of 2025. Government subsidies to state-run firms declined by 22...
CEBU CITY – Sacks of rice that could have fed thousands were left to rot in a warehouse in Mandaue City. Authorities confirmed that the 397 sacks of National Food Authority (NFA) rice valued at over P1 million are already spoiled and unfit for human consumption. Sacks of rice stored in a...
Senator Raffy Tulfo has called for the review of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) as he expressed alarm that the future of the rice farming industry is in danger because of existing policies. In his privileged speech, Tulfo said that while RTL had good intentions and ideas, it failed to fulfill...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will expand the government’s ₱20-per-kilo rice program to include farmers of the staple beginning next month, expanding access to cheaper rice for one of the country’s poorest sectors. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the government will...
The World Bank considers liberalized rice trade as a boost to the Philippine agriculture sector, even as the Marcos Jr. administration is moving to reinstate the National Food Authority’s (NFA) old regulatory powers. “Strategic shifts are underway to reinvigorate transformation of the...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will hold on-the-ground consultations with farmers and lawmakers to prepare for the deliberations on the proposed RICE Act, which aims to reinstate the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority (NFA). Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he has...
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Sunday, July 6 urged the National Food Authority (NFA) and local government units (LGUs) to immediately buy palay and other produce directly from Filipino farmers at fair market prices. Pangilinan made the appeal following reports that palay is now being...
The Philippines will see a slight improvement in its rice production in the upcoming marketing year (MY) as the government’s support programs for the sector—including the sale of subsidized rice—are now starting to pay off, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In a...
BACOLOD CITY – The National Food Authority (NFA) started delivering sacks of rice to the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) on Wednesday, June 4, a day before the official launching of the P20-per-kilo rice program here. Brenda Burdeos, project development officer IV of the City Cooperative...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expecting retail prices of rice to decline as retailers seek to compete with the government’s ₱20-per-kilo rice program, which is now available across a number of cities and municipalities. DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the agency has received...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is hoping that the next crop of lawmakers will prioritize restoring the National Food Authority’s (NFA) regulatory powers—such as the authority to sell rice directly to the public—as a measure to stabilize rice prices and supply. In a press briefing on...
