Food poverty drops in Q4 as DA expands rice program, other interventions

Author: DA Press Office | 21 January 2026

Food poverty in the Philippines fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the latest OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa (TNM) Survey, signaling easing pressure on households as food access improves and prices stabilize amid government interventions.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. welcomed the survey results, noting that they reflect the impact of sustained efforts to secure the food supply and support both consumers and producers. "These results show that our programs are reaching Filipino families. We will continue to ensure consumers have access to affordable food with stable prices, while helping farmers, fisherfolk, and other food producers earn more," Tiu Laurel said.

He highlighted the rapid expansion of the government's flagship rice initiative. "This year, we are scaling up President Ferdinand Marcos' P20 rice program to reach 15 million households, or roughly 60 million Filipinos," he said.

President Marcos wants to sustain the P20 rice program until the end of his term in June 2028.

Secretary Tiu Laurel said that President Marcos and both House and the Senate have approved a higher budget for farm and related infrastructures, including farm-to-market roads, cold storage facilities, food hubs, deepwater ports, rice dryers, warehouses, and greenhouses, to boost production, lower food costs, and increase rural incomes.

The OCTA Q4 2025 survey showed self-rated food poverty dropping by 19 percentage points, from 49 percent in the third quarter to 30 percent in the fourth quarter. This equates to roughly five million families who no longer consider themselves food-poor, marking one of the fastest improvements in the TNM survey series.

Self-rated overall poverty also fell sharply, dropping 17 percentage points from 54 percent to 37 percent quarter-on-quarter. OCTA estimates this represents around 4.5 million families who no longer identify as poor-the largest single-quarter decline in the series.

Self-rated hunger rose from 11 percent to 16 percent, but OCTA noted that nearly 80 percent of affected households experienced hunger only once or a few times, suggesting short-term or episodic food stress rather than chronic hunger.

Analysts attribute the improvements in food poverty to government programs that stabilize supply and prices, particularly rice. Central to these efforts is the "Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!" program, alongside the P20-per-kilo rice initiative, which protects consumers from price spikes while helping farmers and fisherfolk increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and access broader markets.

Economists say sustaining these gains will require continued support for production and price management, but the OCTA survey signals meaningful progress in reducing food poverty and strengthening household food security. ### (By DA - OSEC Comms & file photos by AFID)