Farmers Harvest ‘Victory’ Palay Prices Hits ₱31 per Kilo

Farmers Harvest ‘Victory’ in Nueva Ecija

By: Celso M. Cajucom

NUEVA ECIJA — The old proverb “the early bird catches the worm” has become a reality for local farmers in Nueva Ecija (region-3). Growers who braved early planting despite past storms are now harvesting huge rewards as palay prices surge to ₱31 per kilo this February 2026.

After years of financial struggle, local farmers are seeing a significant turnaround as market rates hit ₱31 per kilo for dry palay and ₱25 per kilo for fresh harvest. This price spike offers relief for local farmers who previously suffered from severe low buying prices as well as expensive fertilizers.

Nueva Ecija is known as the “Rice Granary of the Philippines” because the province consistently produces the highest volume of rice in the region. This massive production is vital in sustaining food security for the entire country.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) credits the price hike to the “Regional Planting Calendar,” which prevented a market oversupply by spacing out harvest schedules. The 27 towns and five cities of Nueva Ecija also played an important role in this success, with local government units (LGUs) providing crucial support to ensure that farmers had reached for high market bids.

In Jaen, Mayor Sylvester Austria told Breaking News Online that the timely distribution of 6,500 free fertilizers from the DA, this LGU improved the crop quality across half of the 6,000 hectares which was planted in his area. Austria noted that “early bird” farmers are now enjoying the ₱25 fresh palay prices and onward to anticipating ₱31per kilo for dry.

Meanwhile, San Isidro Mayor Cesario “Dong” Lopez and Mayor Joselito “Doc Lito” Galapon of Guimba, who are also a farmers, reported that LGU and DA programs have empowered growers to negotiate better rates with private traders.

Despite this “victory for local farmers in the province,” Danilo Bolos, chairman of the Bagong Pag-Asa Irrigators Association, warned in an interview with Breaking News Online that these high prices might be short-lived or “not sustainable.”

Bolos said that the current trend is driven by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s two-month “No Importation” order.

“I once cried in committee hearings at the House of Representatives and the Senate because the situation for local farmers was so degraded,” recalled Bolos, who was invited as a resource person to represent the grievances of farmers on the ground.

Bolos recalled that mass protests and rallies were held led by farmers’ associations in the past—specifically at the Guimba bypass roads—citing times when prices dropped to ₱8 and ₱10. He blamed this on the conspiracy of unscrupulous traders and excessive imports, which “crippled the livelihoods” of local farming families due to the severe drop in income.

“While ₱31 is a win, we fear prices might fall back to ₱15 or ₱17 this coming March dry cropping season when all farmers harvest their yields and supply increases,” Bolos said. He added that they are “crossing their fingers,” hoping that a flood of imported rice will not hit the market during this critical season to safeguard the hard-earned livelihoods of our local farmers.

Bolos, who is also a farmer, emphasized that while ₱17 per kilo is enough for a return on investment, the government—particularly the DA—must act without political interest and prevent the interference of influential figures or illegitimate, wealthy traders. He stressed that authorities must ensure prices do not drop back to the dreaded ₱15 level or below.

While the NFA is currently buying at ₱21, Bolos and Elizabeth Vana, President of the Nueva Ecija Rice Millers Association, recently suggested that the agency and stakeholders reactivate a more transparent procurement strategy.

They emphasized the need for a system that provides better advantages to local farmers and ensures a fair bidding process. This move aims to prevent the “depressing price cycles” caused by past corruption, where technicalities in grain testing were allegedly used by some personnel to manipulate prices and disadvantage small-scale producers (The local farmers).

Under RA 11203, the NFA has been transformed from a regulatory body into a buffer stocking agency, focusing its role on the acquisition and maintenance of rice reserves for national security.

To navigate this post-NFA retail landscape and rescue the local rice industry from instability, the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines (GRECON) has launched more efficient strategic roadmap through its ARAA Campaign—standing forAffordable, Reasonable, Accessible, and Available.

In an interview with GRECON spokesperson Orly Manuntag, he explained that the mission, led by National President James Magbanua, aims to balance the needs of local producers and consumers.

Manuntag added that this initiative supports Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. as part of the “Social Responsibility” of GRECON and PRiSM affiliates to secure the food supply chain for every Filipino family.