The Department of Agriculture (DA) has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into social media claims that at least three farmers in Nueva Ecija took their own lives due to the low prices of palay.

In a letter to the NBI on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. called for a thorough investigation. He also called on the public to respect the grieving families and pledged assistance to them.

Laurel said the social media claims contradicted official law enforcement and DA reports, including the statements of the families of the deceased.

He also addressed the challenges faced by the National Food Authority (NFA), revealing in a statement on Tuesday that the agency has been unable to buy significant volumes of palay from farmers due to budget constraints.

“Moreover, the agency’s regulatory powers have been stripped, hindering its ability to manage rice inventories effectively through regular sales to the public,” Laurel said.

He explained that because of its “limited authority,” the NFA cannot effectively intervene in the market, which allows traders to suppress palay prices.

“This has led to the current farmgate prices dropping to as low as P14 per kilo,” he said.

The agri chief pointed out the decline in local prices was also tied to a global market correction, where for more than two years global rice prices were at their highest, driven by India’s ban on non-basmati rice exports in August 2023. The ban was lifted last September, which increased global demand due to anticipated supply shortages caused by El Niño.

“We are doing this with one hand tied behind our back. We need some of the NFA’s powers back — if not to the agency itself, then to the DA — to better address the challenges we face,” Laurel said.

He emphasized that the rice agency needs additional resources to acquire around 20 percent of the supply to influence market prices.

To support local producers, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson encouraged farmers in Regions 1, 2, and 3 to sell their harvests directly to the agency, which has a buying price of P19 per kilo for fresh palay in those regions.

NFA to rent more warehouses

Meanwhile, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro clarified that the NFA storage facilities were full and the delay in the purchase of palay was due to the peak harvest season.

This after farmers expressed concern over the NFA’s inability to purchase their palay.

“We spoke with [NFA Administrator Lacson] and he said there are no warehouses that are full, and the farmers just need to wait in line because it’s the peak season,” Castro said in Filipino during a press briefing on Tuesday. She added the NFA will rent additional warehouses if necessary.

“For all farmers who wish to sell their palay, if they can wait their turn, the NFA will buy it. We will not refuse anyone who wishes to sell their produce,” she said.

Castro noted that fresh palay is purchased at P19 per kilo in Regions 1, 2 and 3, and at P18 per kilo in other regions, while clean and dry palay is bought at P24 per kilo.