The Department of Agriculture (DA) declared a national food security emergency for rice on Monday, February 3, citing an “extraordinary” spike in rice prices.
According to Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., the emergency declaration allows the DA to release rice buffer stocks held by the National Food Authority (NFA) to “stabilize prices and ensure that rice, a staple food for millions of Filipinos, remains accessible to consumers.”
The food security emergency will bring down the local rice prices to P33 to P35 per kilo, a significant decrease from the P45 to P65 range that November 2024 to January 2025 saw — some rice varieties even cost P80.
The emergency declaration follows previous efforts to lower rice prices, like President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s reduction of rice tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent in July 2024. Tiu also said that while global rice prices have eased, local rice prices remain high. “Despite efforts to liberalize rice imports and reduce tariffs, the domestic market has been slow to respond,” the DA said.
The NFA currently holds a buffer stock of approximately 300,000 metric tons of rice. According to the DA, half of that will be released over the next six months “to ensure sufficient supply for emergencies and disaster response.” If necessary, the NFA may increase the volume as it prepares to procure more palay in the coming weeks.
The DA said that under a recent amendment to the Rice Tariffication Law, the agriculture secretary is authorized to declare a food security emergency in response to extraordinary price increases. “This provision allows the DA chief to direct the NFA, which is legally restricted from selling rice directly to the public, to release buffer stocks to government agencies, local government units, and the KADIWA ng Pangulo program,” the DA explained.
The food security emergency is in effect until the DA lifts it; no specific date has been given.
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