By Giselle P. Jordan.

THE National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice buffer stocks have reached a five-year high of 7.17 million 50-kilogram bags, the agency said on Tuesday, enough for nine days of national consumption.

The agency attributed this to higher palay buying prices, which averaged P27 per kilogram (kg) last year and is currently at P24/kg.

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson assured local farmers that despite the increased inventory, the agency still had enough funds to procure more stocks: around 500,000 metric tons (MT) or some 6.3 million bags of rice.

“So far this year, we’ve spent only P2.6 billion of the P14.6 billion available to us for palay procurement. This includes unspent funds of P5.6 billion carried over from the 2024 budget,” he said.

Under the amended Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) signed last December, the NFA is now required to maintain a rice buffer stock equivalent to 15 days of national consumption, an increase from the previous requirement of nine days.

The buffer stock must also be entirely sourced from local farmers to support local agriculture.

Currently, the NFA is upgrading its storage facilities to accommodate 880,000 MT of palay or 550,000 MT of rice. During the initial implementation of the RTL in 2019, the NFA had a buffer of around 492,000 MT, composed mostly of imported rice.

The RTL also changed the powers of the NFA, particularly its ability to sell rice directly to the public. Under current policies, the agency is only allowed to sell “aging stocks” or rice that has been stored for at least two months since its processing.

Despite this, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the NFA’s current rice reserves allowed the government to support vulnerable sectors, particularly through initiatives like the P29 program.

“We continue to explore ways to better manage the NFA’s aging rice stocks, while ensuring that the most disadvantaged Filipinos receive the assistance they need,” he said.

Published Date: April 23, 2025