The National Food Authority (NFA) is set to procure 90 new trucks this year, in a bid to ensure that farmers, including those in remote areas, are given the opportunity to sell their produce to the agency, which is set to purchase around 880,000 metric tons of palay (unmilled rice) this year.
In a statement released Sunday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the NFA also plans to purchase an additional 150 trucks in 2026, which will focus on addressing logistical challenges, on top of the implementation of the fast-lane service for small farmers selling less than 50 bags of palay.
“We simply cannot fight these battles with one hand tied behind our backs. We need to restore NFA’s powers to regulate rice retail and manage stocks more effectively,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
The agency’s total palay inventory stood at 399,701 metric tons as of February 2025, which the DA said is enough to cover eight days of supply, marking an improvement from just one day prior to the leadership of NFA administrator Larry lacson.
Tiu Laurel in January said the NFA is set to buy at least 300,000 metric tons of rice this year, with optimism that the country will hit a record for palay production.
Under its mandate, the NFA is tasked to maintain sufficient rice buffer stocks to be sourced mainly from local farmers. The agency, for its part, said it is also mandated to keep and dispose of 99.9% of stocks in good and consumable condition. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News
