MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) said emergency procurement of milling services has helped expand the storage capacity of warehouses operated by the National Food Authority (NFA).

The DA made the statement after the NFA completed emergency milling service contracts in Bicol worth PHP19.1 million, following earlier similar operations in Region 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN).

In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the initiative aims to increase the NFA’s capacity to store more palay or unmilled rice purchased from local farmers.

The program also supports the government’s distribution of PHP20-per-kilo aging but good-quality rice under the Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na program by speeding up the release of milled rice stocks.

“This initiative allows us to simultaneously expand warehouse capacity, build stronger emergency rice reserves, and sustain the government’s affordable rice program at a time when inflationary risks are intensifying,” Tiu Laurel said.

“With global oil prices rising because of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, protecting Filipino consumers from food price shocks has become even more critical,” he added.

NFA administrator Larry Lacson said the initiative gives the government greater flexibility in supporting President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s P20-per-kilo rice program and stabilizing supply in vulnerable markets.

He added that faster milling of stocks also strengthens disaster preparedness and improves inventory management.

“By accelerating the milling of these stocks, we are not only boosting disaster-ready rice reserves but also creating room to procure more palay directly from farmers during the harvest season,” Lacson said.

According to the NFA, six rice millers from Albay and Sorsogon were contracted to process 114,743 50-kilo bags of palay, which is equivalent to about 74,580 bags of rice.

Earlier, the agency also secured PHP48.5 million worth of milling contracts covering more than 215,000 50-kilo bags of palay in Region 12, involving 15 rice mills in North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato.

The National Food Authority National Food Authority said the emergency milling contracts are part of efforts to strengthen rice reserves and improve the government’s capacity to stabilize supply and prices.