Philippines’ rice buffer stock at 409,000 MT amid procurement surge
This development comes as the agency boosts procurement and rolls out a nationwide subsidized rice program
PHILIPPINES – The Philippines’ National Food Authority (NFA) has reported that rice buffer stock stands at 409,000 metric tons (MT), equivalent to 8.19 million 50-kilogram bags, sufficient to feed the nation for approximately 10.7 days.
This development comes as the agency boosts procurement and rolls out a nationwide subsidized rice program to stabilize supply and support local farmers.
In March 2025, the NFA procured 1.63 million bags (81,271.3 MT) of palay (unmilled rice), a significant increase from 42,743 bags (2,137 MT) bought in the same month last year.
This represents a procurement volume more than three times higher than its monthly target of 695,600 bags (34,780 MT).
The surge is credited to favorable harvest conditions and the implementation of the Price Range Scheme (Pricers), where the NFA buys clean and dry palay at P23 to P30 per kilogram, equivalent to US$0.40 to US$0.53 per kg, and fresh/wet palay at P17 to P23 per kg (US$0.30 to US$0.40), with pricing updated weekly by province.
Despite the strong procurement, the NFA distributed only 57,989 bags (2,899.45 MT) of milled rice in March, just 13.4% of its target of 432,740 bags (21,637 MT).
Of this, 1,944 MT went to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), legislators, and local governments for relief and calamity efforts. An additional 208 MT were allocated under Executive Order 51, 356 MT for a one-time rice allowance grant, and 390 MT under the food security emergency program.
To ease storage constraints and help move stocks, the government launched the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” (BBM Na!) rice subsidy program, which offers rice to low-income households at P20 per kilogram—or approximately US$0.35/kg. This initiative is supported by P4.5 billion (US$78.9 million) in funding from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s contingency fund.
The program is being piloted across key regions, including Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and Southern Leyte, with plans to distribute 600,000 bags of rice.
Under the revised Rice Tariffication Law, the NFA is mandated to maintain a buffer stock equivalent to 15 days of national rice consumption, procured solely from local farmers. To meet this mandate, the agency plans to acquire an additional 900,000 MT of palay.
As of April, the NFA had already utilized P2.6 billion (US$45.6 million) of its P14.6 billion (US$256 million) procurement budget.
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