Rice farmers in Central Luzon are calling for stronger government intervention to stabilize palay prices, following the reopening of National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses in San Ildefonso, Bulacan and the resumption of state-led procurement at higher rates.
During a visit to the NFA facility on Wednesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government is considering setting a floor price for palay to protect farmers from sharp price fluctuations.
“We are studying the possibility of setting a floor price for palay so that no one ends up losing money,” said the President. “When prices are too unstable, it’s hard to make proper plans,” he told farmers during an informal dialogue.
Marcos, who temporarily served as agriculture secretary, emphasized that the government wants farmers to earn enough to sustain their planting intentions, especially with stronger support from the Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has directed NFA Administrator Larry Lacson to accelerate milling to decongest warehouses and boost supply for the Marcos administration’s expanded P20 per kilo rice program.
Tiu said the current rice situation underscores the need to restore some of the NFA’s powers removed under the Rice Tariffication Law—especially its authority to sell rice directly to the public to help stabilize prices.
The agriculture chief said a study is also underway on how to empower the NFA to set a floor price for palay, a power given to the National Grains Authority (precursor of the NFA) under Presidential Decree 1485.
