DA expands P20 rice program in Aklan

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday announced the expansion of the P20-per-kilogram rice program in the Aklan province to benefit some 85,000 individuals, following the launch of the program in the area last year.

According to the DA, the P20-per-kilogram rice will benefit minimum wage earners, farmers and fisherfolk, senior citizens, solo parents, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, persons with disabilities, and members of the transport sector.

“This is not just about selling rice at P20 per kilo — it’s about protecting Filipino families from high food costs while making sure our farmers are paid fairly,” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.

“When consumers can buy affordable rice and farmers have a stable market for their palay, that’s when the system works,” he added.

The P20 rice program draws buffer stocks from the warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA), which is better positioned to procure more palay or unmilled rice from local farmers. It was first launched in Aklan in 2025, benefiting some 22,000 households.

The DA said it also distributed some P75-million worth of assistance, including four-wheel drive tractors, rice combine harvesters, farm inputs, seeds and fertilizers, crop insurance indemnity checks, composting facilities, hybrid solar renewable energy systems, trading capital, and 20-footer fiberglass fishing boats.—AOL, GMA Integrated News