NFA to cap rice purchase per farmer to reach more beneficiaries

National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Larry Lacson said on Saturday that the agency is planning to limit the volume of unmilled rice it buys per farmer in an effort to reach more farmers equitably.

Lacson explained that some farmers manage more than two hectares of land, making it difficult to distribute government support fairly.

“Why don’t we limit it and make it only 100 [sacks] per farmer, instead of 300 going to just one farmer,” Lacson said in Filipino.

Under the new plan, the only requirement for selling to the NFA is for farmers to be registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA). Land ownership is not required.

Lacson added that the production cost for unmilled rice ranges from ₱12 to ₱14 per kilo, and therefore, the ideal floor price should be at least ₱16.

Farmers are also being provided with seeds, fertilizers, cash assistance, and mechanization support under the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

Additionally, the government has been giving rice processing centers to farmer cooperatives, but Lacson noted a lack of legal provisions that would allow NFA to buy directly from those centers.

“There should be proper complementing of efforts,” he said.

The NFA also plans to purchase 600 trucks by 2028 to improve logistics.

Lacson also addressed public concern over allegations that the NFA is operating like a private trader, prompting the agency to introduce new directives to make its unmilled rice procurement process more transparent..

“Data shows that there are about 2.6 million farmers, but we can’t serve all of them due to our limitations,” he said. “The idea of limiting to 100 sacks is difficult to compute exactly, but the goal is to increase the number of farmers we are able to serve.”