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GMA Network
30-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
NFA to sell P20 rice to registered farmers beginning Aug. 13
The government's P20-per-kilo rice initiative, initially for vulnerable sectors, will be opened to farmers registered under the Department of Agriculture's Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) starting mid-next month. In a news release on Wednesday, the DA said, beginning August 13, RSBA-registered farmers will be allowed to participate in the 'Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!' program. 'It is only fair that those who produce the rice we eat have access to the P20-per-kilo rice we make available to vulnerable sectors, including minimum wage earners,' said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. 'There will be KADIWA-FTI booths in NFA warehouses that will sell P20 rice,' he added. The P20 rice program for RSBA-registered farmers will be launched in Regions II and III next month. Farmers listed under the RSBSA will initially be eligible to purchase up to 10 kilos of P20 rice per month. Currently, around 2.9 million rice farmers are registered under the RSBSA, according to the DA. Moreover, plans are being fine-tuned, particularly logistics, to include fisherfolk in the subsidized rice program, said Tiu Laurel. There are 2.8 million RSBSA-registered fisherfolk. The subsidized rice is sold primarily through the KADIWA ng Pangulo centers and in participating government agencies and local government units. The rice is sourced by Food Terminal Inc. from the NFA, which is required by law to build a buffer stock with rice bought only from local farmers. Farmers could avail of their monthly allocation in bulk. 'This means that if they want, they could buy a 50-kilo sack of the P20 rice to cover their allocation from August to December,' said Tiu Laurel, who also chairs the policy-making NFA Council. If all registered farmers avail of their monthly entitlement, the NFA will release approximately 520,000 50-kilo bags of rice from its stocks each month, the DA said. To replenish these stocks, the agency will have to procure two bags of palay for every bag of rice released—creating more selling opportunities for rice farmers at better prices and helping stabilize palay farm-gate prices, the Agriculture Department noted. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his fourth State of the Nation Address, has directed the DA to expand the coverage of the P20 rice program to benefit as many as 15 million households—or around 60 million Filipinos—by next year. The administration aims to sustain the program until the end of the President's term in June 2028, fulfilling a major campaign promise to ensure accessible, affordable rice for all. The Agriculture chief said an P18 billion budget has been approved by President Marcos for the rice program for 2026. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
13-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DA, DOLE launch P20/kg rice for minimum wage earners
The government's P20 per kilogram subsidized rice can now be availed by minimum wage earners as the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Friday launched the nationwide rollout of the initiative for the sector. Late in May, the DA and DOLE announced their partnership to include minimum wage earners in the ongoing pilot run of the cheaper rice program. The DOLE said nearly 120,000 minimum wage earners from more than 500 establishments nationwide will initially benefit from the DA-DOLE partnership, 'with numbers expected to grow as more companies join the program.' 'This isn't just about rice—it is about dignity. It is about proving that government can deliver for the Filipinos who need it most,' said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. 'We are fulfilling President Marcos' promise of affordable food—subsidized for now, but ideally self-sustaining in the future through agricultural modernization,' added Tiu Laurel. Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, for his part, said that expanding the program to include minimum wage earners will significantly advance the administration's goal of supporting the country's most vulnerable sectors. 'Yun naman ang gusto ng ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos Jr., na ang lahat ay makinabang… Napakalaking bagay kung ang isang minimum wage earner ay makakabili rin ng bigas na P20 per kilo. Kung sampung kilo ang pwedeng bilhin... Mayroon siyang P100 o P200 na pwede niya namang mai-ukol sa iba pang mga bilihin, at siguro gaganda ang purchasing power po ng ating minimum wage earner,' said Laguesma. (That is what our President Bongbong Marcos Jr. wants, that everyone benefit from this program… It would mean a lot for a minimum wage earner to have access to P20 per kilo rice. If he is allowed to purchase 10 kilos... he could save P100 or P200 that he could spend on other essentials. It would greatly improve his purchasing power.) Known as 'Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!,' the program was first launched in Cebu on May 1, Labor Day. The rice sold under the program is sourced from reserves purchased by the National Food Authority from local farmers. Currently in its pilot phase running through December, the initiative aims to reach up to 14 million Filipinos, particularly vulnerable sectors such as solo parents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and indigents. President Marcos has ordered the DA to expand and sustain the program through the end of his term in 2028. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
