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DA hopes to get emergency permission for food security this week.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. aims to have the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) approve a national food security emergency declaration this week. This move would allow the Department of Agriculture (DA) to distribute National Food Authority (NFA) rice stocks to government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to help stabilize rice prices. Despite global price reductions and a tariff cut from 35% to 15% ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., rice prices remain high in some areas. To address this, the NFA plans to release 150,000 metric tons of rice over six months, prioritizing regions with elevated prices. NFA Administrator Larry Lacson stated that releasing 30,000 metric tons per month will help reduce prices while maintaining emergency buffer stocks. Additionally, the NFA will buy palay (unmilled rice) at P23 per kilogram to meet the required 555,000 metric tons of buffer stock for national consumption.
Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the agriculture secretary, stated that he hopes to get the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) to approve the declaration of a national food security emergency this week. In an effort to stabilize rice prices nationwide, the Department of Agriculture (DA) would be able to distribute National Food Authority (NFA) rice buffer stocks to government agencies and local government units (LGUs) upon the declaration of a national food security emergency. Following global price reductions and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s order to reduce rice tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent last year, persistently high rice prices in various parts of the country prompted the decision to propose a food security emergency. According to NFA Administrator Larry Lacson, the agency plans to prioritize areas with high rice prices in the program and release 150,000 metric tons (MT), or 3 million 50-kilogram bags, of rice over a six-month period. "This monthly release of approximately 30,000 metric tons will alleviate high rice prices and prepare NFA warehouses for the upcoming palay procurement season," said Lacson. He reassured the public that adequate buffer stock would be maintained in case of emergencies or disasters even as the agency released stocks. In order to meet its rice buffer stock requirement of 555,000 MT, or 15 days of national consumption, as required by the amended Rice Tariffication Act, the NFA plans to purchase palay (unmilled rice) at a price of P23 per kilogram during the upcoming rice harvest season.
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