Philippines has 9-day rice buffer stock, aims 15 days by year-end

The Philippines now has enough rice buffer stock to support its population for 9.36 days, as reported by the National Food Authority (NFA) on Tuesday.

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson noted at a press briefing in Malacañang that the country holds 358,000 metric tons of rice, equivalent to 7.16 million bags.

Lacson highlighted the government's progress towards its food security goals and cited amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law as guiding the expansion of buffer stock to 15 days by year-end.

The NFA aims to purchase an additional 2.8 million bags of palay in the remaining months of 2025, with a total budget of P9 billion for buying buffer stocks.

Lacson emphasized the importance of the current nine-day buffer stock as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and added that modernizing warehouses is crucial to address congestion issues.