Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the National Food Authority’s (NFA) send-off of 35,000 bags of rice bound for Central Visayas.
It is the second shipment under the pilot implementation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s P20 rice program—a campaign promise he aims to sustain until the end of his term in June 2028.
Tiu Laurel, who also chairs the NFA Council, was joined by NFA Administrator Larry Lacson as they conducted a final quality check before the rice was shipped to Cebu.
The delivery is part of the 100,000 50-kilo sacks ordered by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia for distribution across the province. The first batch of 35,000 bags arrived three weeks ago, as Cebu and other provinces agreed to co-fund the subsidy to support affordable rice initiative.
Following the send-off, the agriculture chief met informally with local farmers, many of whom have opted to wait for the NFA to resume buying palay at better rates.
NFA offers P18 for fresh palay and up to P24 per kilo for dry compared to P13.50 to P18 per kilo from private traders, against an estimated production cost of P12 to P14 per kilo.
“This effort is about more than just bringing down prices—it is about recognizing and supporting the people who make it possible.”
“As we continue to implement President Marcos’ P20 rice program, this effort is about more than just bringing down prices—it is about recognizing and supporting the people who make it possible,” the agriculture head explained.
“By clearing space in our NFA warehouses, we are making room to buy more palay from you, our beloved farmers. Here in Mindoro, a vital rice-producing province in Southern Tagalog, you deserve not just recognition, but fair prices that truly reflect your hard work and sacrifice,” he stressed.
“You are the heartbeat of this program, and the reason it has meaning.”
“This subsidized rice program is for every Filipino family striving to put food on the table—and for every farmer who rises before dawn, rain or shine, to feed the nation. Thank you. You are the heartbeat of this program, and the reason it has meaning,” Tiu Laurel added.
Lacson assured farmers that the NFA is expanding its national storage capacity, with repairs completed on nine warehouses that could hold up to 455,000 sacks. In Mindoro, he said repairs to another warehouse are nearly complete, which will help ease congestion and allow for increased palay procurement.
Once repairs are completed, NFA warehouses across Occidental Mindoro Island will have a total storage capacity of 1, 079,000 bags.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that Oriental and Occidental Mindoro combined produced 653,117 metric tons of palay last year, accounting for 3.42% of national output.
“We will continue to mill rice here in Mindoro to support the P20 rice program and to make room in our warehouses for additional palay supply from our farmers,” Lacson said.
“Many of them told us they held off selling their harvest, waiting for NFA to resume buying because they trust us to offer a fair price. Our farmers have worked tirelessly for four months to ensure a bountiful rice harvest—they deserve to earn the highest possible return for their hard work,” he added.
As of May 30, NFA Occidental Mindoro branch has bought 405,219 bags, nearly double the target procurement of 228,00 bags of palay and 10 percent of the estimated harvest of 3.98 million bags.
