National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Larry Lacson assured the public that the agency’s warehouses still hold an ample supply of rice.

In a recent interview, Lacson said the Department of Agriculture (DA) is working to expand the P20 per kilo rice initiative nationwide, with farmers included among the eligible buyers for the affordable rice.

“Overall, our warehouses are still full. We just hope we can release the stocks soon,” Lacson said.

He noted that based on their assessment, consumers are satisfied with the P20/kilo rice program and are ready to access the stocks when needed.

However, Lacson explained that scaling up such programs nationwide involves complex planning.

“Rolling out a nationwide program like this requires many considerations, especially logistics. That’s where we encounter bottlenecks. But we’re actively working on those. The DA and NFA hold weekly meetings to discuss this,” he said.

As an immediate solution, Lacson shared that the DA will set up Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets directly in NFA warehouses, starting with major rice-producing regions such as Regions 2 and 3.

The pilot rollout is scheduled for 13 August and will gradually expand to the Visayas and Mindanao, eventually reaching all NFA warehouses nationwide.

“In general, all NFA warehouses are full. The only ones with fewer stocks are those in remote areas far from farms or those without dryers,” he added.

Currently, NFA has 452,000 metric tons of palay in its inventory. Once milled, this is expected to yield around nine million sacks of rice — enough to cover 12 days of national consumption.