Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. declared a food security emergency on Monday to control soaring rice prices.
The agency released Department Circular No. 3, which carries the emergency declaration, in response to persistently high rice prices in spite of the grain’s reduced global price and the tariff rate rollback from 35 percent to only 15 percent presently.
The declaration follows the National Price Coordinating Council’s (NPCC) recommendation, which asserts that an “extraordinary” increase in the price of rice is indicated by rice inflation that has overshot the upper limit for food inflation and hit double digits.
Rice inflation has been stuck at levels as high as 17.9 percent, surpassing the upper bound of the food inflation target of 4 percent, according to 2023 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Under the declaration, the National Food Authority (NFA) is permitted to sell its stocked rice to local government units (LGU) for ₱36 per kilo, which the LGUs will, in turn, sell to their constituents for just ₱38 per kilo.
The NFA currently has 300,000 metric tons of rice stored in its warehouses.
In an interview with DZRH, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said LGUs interested in providing their localities with more affordable rice can now visit NFA offices to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
“‘Yung mga interesado na magkaroon ng murang bigas sa kanilang mga lokalidad, puwede na pumunta sa aming tanggapan, at puwede silang makipag-usap na, at magpipiramahan lang po kami ng Memorandum of Agreement na mayroon naman po kaming template. And then puwede na silang makabili, puwede na ibenta sa kanilang mga constituent,” Lacson said, adding that payment must be taken from government coffers.
“Doon nga sa aming conditions, talagang pati nga ‘yung pondo na pambabayad nila sa amin, ise-certify nilang galing ‘yun sa government fund kung cash po ‘yung ibabayad. Ang number one rule po talaga diyan is tseke ng gobyerno dapat,” he added.
(Those interested in having cheap rice in their localities can now go to our office, talk to us, and we will sign a Memorandum of Agreement, which we have a template for. And then they can make their purchase, and sell to their constituents. Among our conditions is that the funds they pay us, they need to certify that it is from government reserves if they pay in cash. Our number one rule there is that it must be a government check.)
