DA May Declare Food Security Emergency for Rice on February 4

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is poised to declare a food security emergency for rice as early as Tuesday, February 4, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

The DA recently received a resolution from the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) recommending the emergency declaration.

“My office just received the resolution yesterday while I was still in the US. I have to sign it as part of the board. Probably by Tuesday, we will likely be declaring the rice emergency,” Tiu Laurel said during a memorandum signing with MerryMart Consumer Corp.

Impact of the Rice Emergency Declaration

Once declared, the National Food Authority (NFA) will release 300,000 metric tons of rice into the market over the next six months to stabilize prices.

“This will reduce the volume of stocks in warehouses, and farmers will be happy as the NFA can buy rice from them with available storage,” Tiu Laurel explained.

Rice from NFA buffer stocks will be sold at:

• ₱36 per kilogram to government agencies and local government units (LGUs)
• ₱38 per kilogram to consumers

The DA believes this will ease the market and help lower retail rice prices, a crucial move ahead of the February harvest.

Legal Basis and Goals

Under the amended Rice Tariffication Law, the DA is authorized to declare a food security emergency in cases of supply shortages or extraordinary price hikes.

By releasing NFA stocks, the DA aims to:

• Alleviate retail rice prices
• Decongest warehouses in preparation for upcoming harvests
• Support Filipino farmers through increased NFA procurement

The declaration comes amid rising concerns over rice affordability, with the government taking proactive steps to stabilize this essential staple.