In a renewed push for food security, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is calling on Congress to amend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to restore and expand the purchasing powers of the National Food Authority (NFA), allowing it to buy not just palay, but also milled rice and corn directly from farmers and cooperatives.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the proposed changes are anchored in the newly filed RICE Act bill by House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The measure aims to strengthen the NFA’s role in stabilizing grain supply and prices, especially during harvest seasons.

“Corn is more than just a rice alternative in Visayas and Mindanao,” Tiu Laurel emphasized. “It’s the backbone of feed production for our poultry and livestock sectors—key pillars in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of a food-secure Philippines.”

According to the National Corn Program, yellow corn comprises 46% of livestock feed and 62% of poultry feed. Despite its importance, only 2.5 million hectares are planted to corn, supporting over 1.1 million Filipino farmers.

In 2024, corn’s gross value added reached ₱116.29 billion—second only to rice and ahead of coconut and sugar. Meanwhile, livestock and poultry sectors were valued at ₱319.48 billion and ₱142.06 billion, respectively.

Undersecretary Roger Navarro stressed that NFA’s procurement efforts—especially during peak harvest periods—are crucial to ensuring fair prices for farmers. He noted that expanding NFA’s mandate to include corn would help stabilize the market and prevent price manipulation.

Tiu Laurel also highlighted the importance of utilizing government-funded Rice Processing Systems (RPS) to mill rice for NFA purchase. “We must make these multi-million-peso facilities work for the farmers they were meant to serve,” he said.

The DA’s proposal signals a strategic shift in agricultural policy, aiming to empower local producers, enhance food supply resilience, and ensure that government infrastructure investments translate into real benefits for farming communities.