Manila: The National Food Authority (NFA) rice may be sold in coordination with the local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila to help make affordable rice accessible and free up warehouse space for fresh stocks, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa discussed the potential sale of NFA rice stocks before they reach the 'aging' category under the revised Rice Tariffication Law (RTL). De Mesa explained that rice classified as two months old could be disposed of by the NFA, primarily through LGUs. He noted, "Ang aging kasi (Aging) starts at three months. So, iyong classified at two months old na bigas (the rice classified at two months) can now be disposed by the NFA. One is through the LGUs. So, LGUs can buy it."

The DA is planning to meet with the Metro Manila Council within the week to finalize the plan. Previously, the DA stated that LGUs in Metro Manila could sell NFA rice stocks at PHP38 per kilogram.

De Mesa emphasized that the program would help create space in warehouses ahead of the palay (unhusked rice) harvest. He stated, "Kung karamihan ng stock ng NFA nasa warehouses na halos mapuno, so hindi sila pwedeng bumili ulit ng fresh stocks until and unless yung stocks nila ma-dispose nila kasi wala silang lalagyan (If majority of the NFA stocks are still in the warehouses which are almost loaded, they cannot buy fresh stocks until and unless they dispose their present stocks because there's no room for more)."

As of December 2024, the NFA had secured 95 percent of its 300,000 metric tons (MT) national rice buffer stock target. This volume corresponds to 285,000 MT of palay or nearly 5.7 million bags of milled rice.