DA targets 84 percent rice self-sufficiency by 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is projected to produce enough rice to meet 84 percent of its domestic demand by the end of next year, according to a high-ranking official of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Agriculture Assistant Secretary U-Nichols Manalo said the country is currently hovering around a 77- percent level of rice self-sufficiency.

“If the budget will be given to us, it will be around 84 percent level of sufficiency at the end of 2026,” Manalo told lawmakers during the budget hearing of the government agency for 2026.

Manalo said the government is targeting around 90 percent rice self-sufficiency by 2028, the end of the current Marcos administration, provided planned programs and budget allocations are fully implemented.

The DA is seeking a P216.1 billion budget for 2026 to fund its programs, including initiatives to boost rice production, support farmers and improve farm-to-market logistics.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier noted that years of limited funding have weakened agriculture’s role in the broader economy.

Although the sector employs one in every five Filipinos, he said it contributed to just 10 percent to gross domestic product last year.

Tiu Laurel added that underinvestment has widened the country’s agricultural trade deficit as food imports grow to meet the needs of the second-largest population in Southeast Asia.

Rice production in the first half reached 9.08 million metric tons, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

This figure represents a 6.4-percent increase from the same period last year, showing progress toward the government’s annual target of 20.46 million metric tons.

Tiu Laurel recently revised the target to 20.35 million MT due to the lingering effects of the La Niña.