President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Agriculture’s National Food Authority (NFA) announced that the government will start buying corn from local farmers, in addition to rice, in 2026.
The President made the announcement on Monday, June 30, during an interaction with the 50th Gawad Saka national awardees and farmers’ representatives from different parts of the country, at the Science City of Muñozin Nueva Ecija.
“Pwede ko nang i-announce iyong NFA, bibili na rin ng mais. Bumabalik talaga tayo doon sa dating trabaho ng NFA na rice and corn. Rice and corn talaga iyong NFA (I can now announce that the NFA will also be buying corn. We’re returning to the previous job of the NFA of procuring rice and corn. NFA really buys rice and corn),” Marcos said.
He did not say when the NFA would start buying corn from the local farmers and for how much, but NFA Administrator Larry Lacson informed the media, in a message, that his agency will pilot the buying of corn in 2026.
Marcos Jr. assured the farmers that the NFA will offer a good rate per kilo of corn to boost farmers’ incomes.
Lacson, in his same message to the media, said they have started preparing to pilot the buying of corn in select areas by 2026 while waiting for a budget allotment.
Lacson said the NFA opted to do a pilot run in select areas first, as the agency had long been without a corn procurement activity. The NFA has been focused on its mandate to maintain a sufficient national buffer stock of rice, equivalent to 15 days, by buying palay from the local farmers as required by the law.
The President said the NFA would buy the corn, similar to the way it has been buying palay from farmers, at a regular and high rate not connected or affected by the prices of rice in the market.
“Ang presyo na iyan ay kailangan, maganda ang hanapbuhay ng ating mga farmer. Kahit anong presyo sa palengke, hindi konektado ‘yun (the price should be good as it is the livelihood of the farmers, no matter what the price in the market, it is not connected),” he added.
Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the NFA’s commitment to continue buying palay from farmers at high prices. He said the NFA has been buying dry palay from farmers at P23 per kilo and wet palay at P18 a kilo.
The President also reaffirmed his commitment to make the agriculture sector more robust and pursue self-sufficiency to eventually reduce reliance on food imports, particularly rice.
“Darating din tayo sa araw na hindi na tayo masyadong umaasa sa importation. Kaya ‘yun ang ating habol. Iyon ang magiging sign of success natin kapag talagang nabawasan na natin nang husto ang ating pagbili ng imported rice (The day will come when we will no longer depend heavily on importation. That is our goal. That will be the sign of our success when we have reduced the amount of imported rice),” Marcos Jr. said.
He said his administration has been implementing several interventions aimed at expanding productivity and improving the sustainability of local farming.
RECOGNIZING THE AGRI PLAYERS
The President, during the event, recognized the contributions and sacrifices of the farmers and fisherfolks, including the 43 awardees of the “50th Gawad Saka: Parangal sa mga Natatanging Magsasaka at Mangingisda (50th Farm Awards: Honor for Exceptional Farmers and Fishermen).”
The Gawad Saka honors the exemplary performance, outstanding contributions and innovative ways of Filipino farmers, fisherfolk, institutions, scientists and researchers in coping with the evolving agricultural sector, towards attaining food security, sufficiency and sustainability.
Marcos Jr., in his interaction with the awardees, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improve the agricultural sector and uplift the lives of the farmers, fisherfolks and their families.
He said that unlike in the past when the Philippines lacked an agricultural policy, his administration has mapped out clear plans, guidelines and targets, to help develop the agricultural sector, as well as to protect and help it recover during calamities and disasters.
He said they have also made plans to entice the young to pursue careers and businesses in agriculture, including the running of farms and the export of agricultural produce.
He said the availability of modern technology that can help improve yields would help attract the youth to get into agribusinesses that for the most part start with farming.
The President also assured the farmers of improved insurance coverage for their crops that will be readily available during calamities and disasters.
Marcos recalled that many farmers and fisherfolk were devastated in 2024 by the nine-month El Ni ño, which was followed by a series of strong typhoons that occurred one after the other in December 2024.
Among the new technologies available for farmers, Marcos singled out the mobile soil laboratories that can help analyze the soils for farming and determine how best to utilize them.
The President, accompanied by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., turned over 16 Mobile Soil Laboratory (MSL) units or one for every region and added he would like to distribute more MSL units soon.
The 16 MSL units were received by the DA regional soil laboratory chiefs who will oversee the day-to-day operations following the protocols and guidelines set by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM).
The MSL is a ten-wheeler truck equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities, resources and safety features capable of analyzing 44 soil chemical, physical and microbiological, as well as water parameters.
The pilot MSL operation has been done in Tarlac and Nueva Ecija since December 2024, where it has analyzed approximately 1,500 soil samples representing more than 300 hectares of land.
Marcos also led the inauguration of the Rice Processing System (RPS) II Facility and the turnover of farm machinery under the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech), which has been getting funds from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.
The facility features a multi-stage rice mill with a processing capacity of two to three tons per hour, equipped with advanced components such as a pre-cleaner, de-stoner, huller, mist polisher, length grader, color sorter, blending tank, automatic packing machine, rice hull bin, dust collection system and an air-conditioned control room.
It also has two stainless steel recirculating dryers, each capable of handling 12 tons per batch, along with a generator set, tools, and other essential accessories.
The RPS II Facility is expected to benefit approximately 6,000 farmers, who collectively manage a total area of 9,200 hectares across the Science City of Muñoz.
The farm machinery, meanwhile, was turned over to 17 farmers’ cooperatives and associations. These include a four-wheel tractor with complete implements, 16 rice combine harvesters (RCHs) and a handy cultivator.
