DA rolls out P20/kilo rice starting May 2

The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that its initiative of selling rice at P20 per kilo will be expanded into the Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) program and participating local government units (LGUs) nationwide, starting on Friday, May 2.

- By DEXTER BARRO II

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said this offering aligns with the pilot of its P20 rice program in the Visayas region—now known as the “Bente Bigas Mo” program.

With this new program, rice will be sold at KNP centers exclusively to indigents, senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Unlike the pilot run, which allowed the purchase of up to 40 kilos of rice per month, this will be limited to 30 kilos per month.

However, participating LGUs that share in the program’s subsidy “may make” the P20 option available to all households in their community regardless of status.

Given the gap between the selling price and the current market price, the P20 rice will be subsidized by the DA, through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), and the LGU.

For instance, for a market price of P33, the FTI will shoulder P6.50, while the LGU will cover the remaining P6.50.

The rice for this initiative will come from the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority (NFA), which the FTI will procure.

Last week, the NFA's stock reached a five-year high of 378,157 metric tons (MT), equivalent to 7.56 million bags of rice. This is enough to feed the country's population for 10 days.