The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) convened a high-level caucus to address the sharp decline in palay (unhusked rice) farmgate prices during the peak harvest season, urging all government agencies to prioritize buying locally produced rice.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III hosted the meeting, which brought together top national and local leaders, including Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., House Speaker Faustino Dy III, National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Larry Lacson and Senate Committee on Agriculture chairperson Senator Francisco Pangilinan.

Estrella stressed the critical need for solidarity to safeguard the livelihood of farmers, calling the meeting “not just a meeting — it is a call to action.”

“Our palay farmers are the backbone of our food security,” Estrella said. “We are appealing to all national government agencies, including Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), to rally behind our farmers and directly procure their produced rice.”

The caucus announced it will formally submit a recommendation to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. urging him to issue a policy requiring all government institutions and GOCCs to purchase local rice. This directive aims to create immediate demand, stabilize prices, and provide direct support to the agricultural sector.

Meantime, Dy expressed full legislative backing for the emergency interventions.

“We must protect the dignity of our farmers. We will continue to push for policies and budget support that ensure fair farmgate prices and national food security,” Dy said.

Immediate measures identified by the unified group to stabilize prices include bulk procurement by government agencies, mobilization of post-harvest facilities, and enhanced coordination with the NFA to boost its buying capacity.