Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. wants to make sure people don’t think badly about NFA rice anymore — especially now that the government is selling it for only ₱20 per kilo. That’s super cheap! But he says it also needs to be good-quality rice — something you’d be happy to eat with your family.
He recently had a big meeting with all the National Food Authority (NFA) bosses and workers to tell them this:
👉 “This is our chance to change how people think about NFA rice!”
He explained that even if the rice is affordable, it should still be tasty, healthy, and as good as — or better than — imported rice from other countries.
Not Everyone Believes It
But not everyone agrees.
Vice President Sara Duterte said she’s worried the cheap rice might be so bad, it’s only good for feeding pigs! 🐷
Also, a video went around on social media that showed what looked like bad rice being sold for ₱20. But Malacañang Palace (where the President works) said:
🚫 “Be careful — that video might be fake news!”
They reminded everyone not to believe everything they see online.
What’s the NFA Doing About It?
To make sure the rice stays good, the NFA is doing a lot of work. They are:
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Buying more trucks 🚛 to bring rice to faraway places
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Building more storage to keep rice dry and fresh 🌾
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Spending over ₱9.8 billion this year to buy rice from Filipino farmers
That huge amount of money can buy enough rice to make 5 million bags! Right now, the NFA already has 8 million bags of rice in stock — and half of that was bought just in the last 4 months.
People Want More ₱20 Rice!
In Metro Manila, families who are allowed to buy the ₱20-per-kilo rice are asking for more because they like it and want to keep buying it.
