Rice, roads, reforms top DA agenda for 2026

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.

Nationwide expansion of P20-per-kilo rice initiative

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.