MANILA — The government’s move to impose a floor price for rice purchases by state agencies is expected to raise farmers’ incomes and strengthen the National Food Authority’s (NFA) role in ensuring fair grain prices, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

“The floor price is an integral part of the solutions we need to help improve our rice farmers’ income,” Tiu Laurel said in a joint press briefing. “We will always act in the best interest of both farmers and consumers.”

Under the new directive, the NFA Council has authorized a palay buying price ranging from P17 to P30 per kilo, depending on moisture content and market conditions. Currently, dry palay is bought at P20 to P23 per kilo. The floor price, along with the Sagip Saka Act—which allows government agencies to directly purchase agricultural commodities from farmers—is expected to widen market access and stabilize farm-gate prices.

“The NFA pricing will be the benchmark for government purchases until the Steering Committee sets the regional floor prices,” Tiu Laurel said.

He assured the public that measures are in place to keep milled rice affordable despite higher procurement costs.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III said the new pricing directive under Executive Order (EO) 100 and the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act under EO 101 would “significantly benefit farmers” as government agencies expand local rice procurement.

The measures also align with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s temporary rice import ban, which aims to lift palay prices. Estrella added that once rice imports resume, tariffs will be adjusted “to balance the interests of farmers and consumers.”