By Tracy Cabrera
DILIMAN, Quezon City — The National Food Authority (NFA) will increase its nationwide buying price for palay (unmilled rice) to ₱21 per kilogram from the current ₱17 per kilogram beginning in September, in a move aimed at helping farmers cope with rising fertilizer costs and other production expenses.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced the adjustment after the government imposed a temporary ban on rice imports into Iloilo from mid-September until the end of November to prevent imported rice from entering the province during the peak harvest period.
“This is what I can do to ensure that our rice farmers earn a decent return from their hard work,” the agriculture chief said.
The NFA said the higher procurement price, along with the import restriction, is expected to strengthen farm-gate prices and increase the earnings of local rice growers.
Known as the rice granary of the Visayas, Iloilo accounts for almost half of Western Visayas’ rice production and contributes more than five percent of the country’s total output.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that Iloilo produced 837,852.21 metric tons of palay last year, slightly exceeding its 2024 output. However, rice production in the province fell by 34 percent to 203,934.59 metric tons in the first quarter of 2026.
The Department of Agriculture also plans to build two additional large rice processing facilities in Iloilo, which are expected to start operating by October. A smaller processing center in Dumangas will be turned over to a local farmers’ cooperative.
Meanwhile, the NFA is constructing 36 modern rice processing facilities nationwide to reduce postharvest losses, raise farmers’ incomes, and strengthen food security.
Tiu Laurel said that about half of the facilities are expected to become operational during the upcoming wet season, while the rest are targeted for completion before next year’s dry-season harvest.
“These projects are part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of a modernized agricultural sector where farmers earn a decent living, and consumers have access to affordable food,” he added.
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