DA: P20 rice now available in 81 out of 82 provinces

The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) P20-per-kilo rice program is nearing nationwide coverage as the subsidized grain is now available in 81 out of 82 provinces of the country.

“We are already in 81 provinces at the end of October, leaving only Tawi-Tawi as the last province where the DA has yet to plant the BBM (Benteng Bigas Meron) Na! flag,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.

Tiu Laurel said that this month the DA will open more P20-rice sites in Aklan, Capiz, Catanduanes, Davao Oriental, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Sarangani, and Sulu.

Sites in Tawi-Tawi are scheduled to open in December, the DA said.

“When we launched the program in May, our modest target was 136 sites in 13 provinces. Today, we have 427 sites nationwide—with two months still to go,” Tiu Laurel said.

The P20 per kilo rice is available for purchase by vulnerable sectors such as 4Ps beneficiaries, single parents, senior citizens, indigenous people, persons with disabilities, minimum wage earners, the public transport sector, farmers, and fisherfolk. 

The rice is sourced from the stocks of the National Food Authority (NFA), which are procured directly from local farmers. The government subsidizes the program through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI)

Under the program, the government procures rice from the NFA  P33 per kilo. These will then be sold at P20 per kilo, with the P13 per kilo subsidy to be shared by the national government and the local government units at P6.50 each.

Tiu Laurel said the pilot rollout of P20-rice program serves as a preparatory run to address logistical and supply challenges to scale up the initiative to reach 15 million households or about 60 million Filipinos by 2026. —VBL, GMA Integrated News