The National Food Authority (NFA) is targeting to achieve 100 percent drying capacity for the country’s rice buffer stock by December 2026.

The target marks a sharp increase from the current 12 percent drying capacity for procured palay (unhusked rice).

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the goal is achievable by December 2026.

“We will be 100 percent capacity, meaning kaya na naming tuyuin ‘yung bibilhin na namin na target (we can dry the palay that we are targeting to buy). We’re filling up the 88 percent difference through this modernization,” he said in an ambush interview Friday.

The NFA plans to procure 900,000 metric tons (MT) of palay from local farmers, enough to maintain a 15-day national rice buffer stock for emergencies and calamities.

Lacson said several modernized rice processing centers are being prepared for the inauguration beginning mid-2026, with all sites expected to be operational before the end of next year.

“Mag-uumpisa tayong mag-inaugurate by the middle of next year, and we will finish all sites by year-end,” he said.

The move forms part of the government’s broader effort to strengthen food security and reduce post-harvest losses. (PNA)