DA bill restoring NFA’s functions almost done

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is finalizing a draft bill that would restore critical functions of the National Food Authority (NFA) to stabilize rice supply and prices in the country.

The draft legislation follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of food security where  every Filipino household can access affordable staples, especially rice.

Crucial to every Filipino’s nourishment, rice holds economic, cultural, and political significance. The proposed bill recalibrates government policy, reinforces the DA’s role in safeguarding food security and revives the NFA’s capacity to act decisively during periods of price volatility and supply disruptions.

“This is one of several measures House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez asked the DA to craft to help the government advance its food security agenda—particularly the program of President Marcos to sustain P20-per-kilo rice for vulnerable sectors through 2028,” said DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.

The bill amends key provisions of the Rice Tariffication Law to grant certain regulatory powers to the NFA to better to manage buffer stocks, regulate rice distribution and marketing, set a floor price for palay, and support farmers’ cooperatives and recipients of Rice Processing Systems funded under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. It will also refine protocols for a DA-led rice importation to ensure the country can respond swiftly to supply shortages and sudden spikes in commodity prices.

It grants the NFA greater flexibility in managing the appropriate level of buffer stock and ensuring that they are always of optimum quality—an essential tool in supporting not only the P20-per-kilo rice goal but also broader government efforts to ensure price stability and protect both producers and consumers.

“These changes will significantly address market inefficiencies and promote fairness—especially for farmers who work the land for months but remain the most disadvantaged,” said NFA Administrator Larry Lacson. 

“For the NFA, this means becoming more efficient, more responsive, and financially stronger.” (DA-AFIS)