P20 per kilo of rice to be sold in Visayas —DA

Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Wednesday announced the implementation of the sale of P20 per kilo of rice, which will be piloted in Visayas.

This came after a closed-door meeting with President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. and the 12 Visayas governors at the Cebu Provincial Capitol. Laurel said the Chief Executive wants this program to be implemented across the country in the long run.

''The President has actually given the directive, initially itong programa ng DA was supposed to last until December, pwede pa stretch 'yan until February. But our President has given the directive to the Department of Agriculture to formulate this to be sustainable and ituloy-tuloy hanggang 2028,'' Laurel said during a press conference. 

Laurel said the purchase of P20 per kilo of rice is capped at 10 kilograms per week or 40 kilos in a month.

Marcos had since been hopeful as regards his campaign promise to reduce the price of rice to as low as P20 per kilo.

He had said the aspiration hinges on fixing the value chain, or the series of stages involved in producing a product or service that is sold to consumers, with each state adding to the value of the product or services.

According to Laurel, the DA has been working day and night to implement the P20 per kilo of rice. 

He said the DA has stocks of rice that can be sold at P20 per kilo.

''We have to also move out stocks from other areas kasi the other factor na kailangan din namin gawin ito sa DA is because talagang punong-punong pa rin ang warehouses ng DA ng bigas at palay,'' Laurel said. 

When it comes to the budget, Laurel said it would depend on the run rate. 

''Anywhere from P3.5 to P4.5 billion on the part of the national government,'' Laurel said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News