DA wants NFA‘s rice regulatory powers restored

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is hoping that the next crop of lawmakers will prioritize restoring the National Food Authority’s (NFA) regulatory powers—particularly the authority to sell rice directly to the public—as a measure to stabilize rice prices and supply.

- By DEXTER BARRO II

In a press briefing on Thursday, May 8, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Joycel Panlilio said the agency has long sought to revert the NFA’s previous powers since the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) was enacted in 2019.

“Even in the last Congress, pino-propose na po natin ‘yan. So ipagpapatuloy lang natin ‘yan sa susunod pong mga ses-sion ng ating Kongreso (We al-ready proposed that. So we will just continue it in the upcoming sessions of our Congress),” said Panlilio, also the DA’s deputy spokesperson.

Panlilio said the agency has not yet sought Malacañang’s certification of urgency for measures aiming to amend the RTL anew to strengthen the NFA.