Philippine : NFA taps 15 rice mills to boost Mindanao palay production; DA assures spot on implementation of imported rice price cap
The Philippines’ National Food Authority tapped 15 rice mills in Soccsksargen to process 215,000 bags of palay worth P48.5 million, boosting buffer stocks, freeing warehouse space and supporting 1,100 farmers, while government enforcement of rice price caps and P20 rice sales continues nationwide.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that the National Food Authority (NFA) has tapped 15 rice mills in Soccsksargen under an emergency procurement program aimed at strengthening food security in the region while creating more warehouse space to buy palay from nearly 1,100 farmers in Central Mindanao.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who also chairs the NFA Council, said rice milling activity has been intensified to support the government’s P20 per kg rice program.
In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said the emergency procurement of milling services initiative covers more than 215,000 50-kg bags of palay harvested across the region, with contracts valued at P48.5 million.
The program is expected to produce 133,251 bags of rice for government buffer stocks at a time when authorities continue to closely monitor domestic food supply and price stability.
“This is more than just a procurement exercise. Every bag of palay we move out of our warehouses means another farmer we can help and another family assured that their harvest has value,” NFA administrator Larry Lacson said.
“We are clearing space not simply to store rice, but to keep buying from farmers who rely on us during difficult market conditions. That support can spell the difference between profit and loss for many small growers,” he added.
NFA said that bulk of the milling contracts, covering around 161,841 bags of palay, was awarded to six millers in North Cotabato, which collectively have a 12-hour milling capacity of 4,526 bags.
Another six millers in Sultan Kudarat will process 45,357 bags, while three millers in South Cotabato will handle the remaining 7,965 bags.
Meanwhile Tiu Laurel said the NFA milling program was designed not only to secure rice supply but also to sustain palay buying operations at favorable prices for farmers.
He mentioned that this milling contract program will also be replicated in other areas of the country to maximize benefits for local rice producers.
“We cannot allow our farmers to carry the burden alone after months of hard work in the fields,” Tiu Laurel pointed out. “When government steps in to buy their harvest at fair prices, we protect livelihoods, strengthen food security, and ensure that Filipino families will continue to have rice on their tables. ”
The DA said that Soccsksargen remains one of Mindanao’s major rice-producing regions, generating as much as 1.5 million metric tons of palay annually, with North Cotabato accounting for roughly 40 percent of total regional output.
Arnel de Mesa, DA spokesperson, said during the Bagong Pilipinas public forum on Tuesday that the government also continues to strictly implement the P50 per kg price cap on imported premium 5 percent broken rice.
He noted that alongside the DA, it is being enforced together with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine National Police and local government units.
“At the start, many sellers have not able to follow the price cap citing that they have procured their supplies at higher prices. But there is good news, especially in the National Capital Region. Compliance rate has improved to 63 percent for our retailers selling within the mandated price,” de Mesa explained.
He also expressed that the P20 per kg rice is currently sold in a total of 787 active sites nationwide.
Based on DA’s daily price index for the National Capital Region, prevailing prices were at P49.47 per kg for local well-milled rice on Tuesday (May 26) while local regular milled rice also went for P45.19 per kg.
Imported well-milled rice was selling for P48.03 per kg while the price of imported regular milled rice ranged from P42.50 per kg.
Special variety imported rice fetched P59.53 per kg and premium imported rice, P51.45 per kg.
Special variety local rice was also selling for P60.32 per kg while premium local rice went for P54.94 per kg.
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Source : Malaya Business Insight
