The Department of Agriculture (DA) is finalizing a draft bill to restore and strengthen the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority (NFA), a policy shift seen to stabilize rice supply and prices. 

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Sunday that the proposed measure would allow government regulators to respond more decisively to market disruptions and price volatility.

“This is one of several measures House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez asked the DA to craft to help the government advance its food security agenda, particularly the program of President Marcos to sustain P20-per-kilo rice for vulnerable sectors through 2028,” Tiu Laurel said.

Under the proposed bill, the DA seeks to restore key functions to the NFA to strengthen its role in managing the country’s rice supply. These include buffer stock management, regulation of rice distribution and marketing, and the authority to set a floor price for palay. 

The measure will also enable the NFA to provide targeted support to farmers’ cooperatives and beneficiaries of Rice Processing Systems under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

The bill further seeks to improve DA-led rice importation protocols to allow quicker response to supply gaps and price surges.

For NFA Administrator Larry Lacson, the proposed changes would help correct market inefficiencies and promote fairness, particularly for farmers who spend months working the land yet remain among the most disadvantaged. 

“For the NFA, this means becoming more efficient, more responsive, and financially stronger,” he said.

Once enacted, the amendments would give the NFA greater flexibility to maintain adequate, high-quality buffer stocks, an essential tool to sustain the government's rice program and deliver long-term price stability for producers and consumers.