National Food Authority Administrator (NFA) Larry Lacson raised concerns over the growing stockpile of rice in the country’s warehouses, warning that the 6.1 million sacks of rice currently stored nationwide pose a challenge for local farmers trying to sell their produce. 

In an interview with DZRH on Thursday, he explained that the increasing stockpile results from ongoing harvests and continued government procurement.

“Hindi na lang po 5 million, nasa 6.1 million sacks ng bigas ang stocks nationwide. Tumataas dahil anihan na at bumibili na po tayo (It's no longer just 5 million, there are now 6.1 million sacks of rice in stock nationwide. The amount is increasing because the harvest season has started and we are already purchasing),” Lacson said.

Sense of urgency

He noted that while some of the stock has been distributed under food security emergency measures, the process has been slow due to paperworks.

The latest allocation went to Cotabato, which received 5,000 sacks, while other areas like San Juan, Camarines Sur, Navotas, and Region 9 have also withdrawn supplies. However, in Zamboanga Sibugay, only 6,600 bags were released due to paperwork delays.

"It's totally new to them. Ang dami pong under negotiation o fina-finalize ang MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) (It's totally new to them. There are a lot of MOAs under negotiation or being finalized),” Lacson said, urging local government units and cooperatives to expedite the process, especially with the upcoming election season likely to cause further delays. 

“Siguro konting sense of urgency sa ating mga partner na bilisan. Baka kasi lalong bumagal ngayong election at kampaniya kung saan mas busy na sila (Perhaps a little sense of urgency with our partners to speed things up. Things might slow down even more with the election and campaign season, as they will be busier).”

The NFA chief assured that the rice stocks are being properly maintained and are not at risk of spoilage. However, if the surplus remains unsold, the agency will be forced to auction them, potentially driving market prices further down.

So far, less than 100,000 sacks have been sold. To address storage concerns, Lacson said the NFA has sought assistance from cooperatives with warehouse space and local government units willing to lend facilities.

NFA’s pricing structure remains at P24 per kilo for clean and dry palay and P18 per kilo for fresh and wet palay. 

Nueva Ecija farmers in crisis

The mounting rice surplus comes at a time when local farmers, particularly in Nueva Ecija, are facing severe financial distress.

Reports indicate that at least four farmers have taken their own lives due to mounting debts and plunging palay prices, which have dropped to P15 per kilogram or lower.

In response, up to 150,000 farmers are expected to gather on 22 March for a large-scale protest at Quezon Bypass Road to call attention to their plight.

Lacson acknowledged these struggles and assured that the NFA is closely monitoring the situation, promising adjustments in rice pricing to help lift farmers out of economic distress.

“Aalalayan ulit ang NFA sa presyuhan ng bigas. There will be adjustments sa presyo, hahatakin pa natin pataas. Tayo po sa NFA, gagawin po natin ‘yan, we’re monitoring it closely (The NFA will again assist with the price of rice. There will be adjustments to the price, and we will pull it further up. We at the NFA will make sure of that; we’re monitoring it closely),” Lacson said.