The Department of Agriculture (DA) is entering 2026 facing a series of high-stakes tests, from keeping rice prices fair and expanding the government’s P20-per-kilo rice program to fast-tracking delayed farm infrastructure and long-pending legislative reforms.

Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said these priorities will determine whether the farm sector can sustain production, keep food affordable, and reverse years of weak growth.

The most immediate challenge, he said, is maintaining fair palay prices to keep rice farming viable and secure the country’s staple supply. The DA will continue directing the National Food Authority to buy palay during the summer harvest at P17 per kilo for wet palay and P21 per kilo for dry palay, while managing rice import volumes to prevent farmgate prices from being depressed.

In 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a temporary freeze on rice imports after oversupply pushed palay prices down to as low as P8 per kilo. Imports were capped at around 3.5 million metric tons last year, down from 4.8 million metric tons in 2024.

Another major test is the nationwide expansion of the P20-per-kilo rice initiative under the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program. The DA aims to reach up to 15 million households, or about 60 million Filipinos, and has been tasked by the President to sustain the program until 2028. Tiu Laurel said the rollout will require sufficient buffer stocks, efficient logistics, and close coordination with local governments to prevent supply disruptions and leakages.

Infrastructure delivery will also come under scrutiny in 2026, particularly the implementation of P33 billion worth of farm-to-market road projects transferred to the DA following the flood control corruption controversy. With the projects only recently turned over, Tiu Laurel said the agency is effectively starting from scratch after years of road construction being handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Beyond short-term challenges, the DA is pushing for structural reforms to unlock long-term growth. Tiu Laurel said Congress has been urged to fast-track amendments to outdated agriculture laws, including reforms covering rice, corn, coconut, and the Bureau of Plant Industry, alongside the recently passed Animal Industry and Competitiveness Act.

A key priority is the long-delayed unlocking of the Coco Levy Fund, which Tiu Laurel warned could cause farmers to miss out as global coconut prices remain elevated. He stressed that legislation must be paired with stronger extension services and cooperative development to improve farmers’ access to credit and markets.

The reform drive is being reinforced by expanded investments in logistics and post-harvest infrastructure, including “Bagsakan ng Bayan” food hubs, cold storage facilities, deep-water agri-ports, and digital systems. Tiu Laurel said the goal is to shift agriculture away from being a perennial problem sector and turn it into a more reliable driver of growth, incomes, and food security.