DA: P29/kilo rice ‘better than doing nothing'

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has defended the implementation of the P29 per kilo of rice after a farmers’ group questioned the program’s sustainability.

- BELLA CARIASO

“First, there are those who criticized (the P29 per kilo rice program). Well, my first reaction is that it is better that we are doing something instead of doing nothing. Life is very hard,” Tiu Laurel said in an interview.

The DA is giving false hopes to the poor by selling rice at P29 per kilo, according to Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president Danilo Fausto.

He added that the move is not sustainable since the DA’s subsidy is pegged at P20 per kilo or at P220 million per day.

He said in an interview with