The Department of Agriculture (DA) yesterday led the National Food Authority’s (NFA) send-off of 35,000 bags of rice bound for Central Visayas, the second shipment under the pilot rollout of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s P20 rice program.
“This program is for every Filipino family striving to feed their loved ones, and for every farmer who wakes before dawn, braves the elements, and dedicates their life to nourishing our nation,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who also chairs the NFA Council.
The delivery forms part of the 100,000 50-kilo sacks ordered by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia for distribution across the province.
The initial batch of 35,000 bags arrived three weeks earlier, as Cebu and other provinces partnered with the NFA to co-fund the subsidy and ensure more affordable rice for local communities.
Currently, the agency offers P18 per kilo for fresh palay and up to P24 per kilo for dry palay—significantly higher than the P13.50 to P18 per kilo range offered by private traders. The average production cost is estimated at P12 to P14 per kilo.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson assured farmers that the agency is ramping up its storage capacity nationwide.
Nine warehouses have recently been repaired, adding space for up to 455,000 sacks of rice. Repairs to another key facility in Mindoro are nearing completion.
Once all upgrades are finished, the NFA’s total warehouse capacity in Occidental Mindoro will reach 1,079,000 bags.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Oriental and Occidental Mindoro together produced 653,117 metric tons of palay in 2023, contributing 3.42 percent to the country’s total rice output.
“We will continue milling rice here in Mindoro to support the P20 rice initiative and to make room for more palay from our farmers. Many have waited for NFA to resume buying because they trust us to offer fair and honest prices. After four months of hard labor in the fields, they deserve nothing less than the best possible return,” Lacson said.
As of May 30, 2025, the NFA Occidental Mindoro branch has procured 405,219 bags of palay—nearly double its target of 228,000 bags and accounting for 10 percent of the province’s estimated harvest of 3.98 million bags.
