NUEVA ECIJA, Oct. 17 -- The National Food Authority (NFA) on Friday launched its new "tonner bag" system aimed at expediting local palay (unhusked rice) procurement, saving at least PHP3 million in operational costs and maximizing warehouse capacity.

The pilot rollout was held at the NFA warehouse in Cabanatuan City, alongside simultaneous launches in Oriental Mindoro and Davao del Sur.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the initiative supports the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to modernize the agriculture sector and enhance food security.

"This is part of our broader effort to upgrade NFA's storage capacity at minimal cost to the government. By maximizing warehouse space, we can procur...