Philippine government resumes P20/kilo rice project in Cebu

Rice is sold at P20 per kilo on the Cebu Capitol grounds as the Department of Agriculture (DA) launches the affordable rice program in the province on May 1. —DA CENTRAL VISAYAS/FACEBOOK (File photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The National Food Authority (NFA) has started delivering well-milled rice to Cebu province in preparation for the resumption of the government’s sale of P20 per kilogram rice project through the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a statement on Tuesday, the NFA said it is currently unloading 35,000 bags of rice containing 50 kg each as part of the program’s pilot test that will run until December.

The shipment is part of the over 600,000 bags of rice that the Cebu provincial government procured under the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! (P20 rice, it’s here!)” initiative.

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said they expect to complete rice delivery by June, with 240,000 sacks coming from NFA warehouses in Mindoro and Iloilo.

READ: DA temporarily halts P20/kilo rice program, to resume on May 13

President Marcos has earmarked P4.5 billion from his contingency fund to implement the affordable price program through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), a corporation under the DA, and local government units (LGUs).

The DA launched the project in the Cebu Capitol on May 1 but had to suspend it until after the midterm polls because of the election spending ban imposed by the Commission on Elections from May 2 to May 12.

Bohol, Siquijor and Southern Leyte, apart from Cebu, are also taking part in the subsidized rice program.

The NFA said Siquijor ordered 40,000 bags of rice while Southern Leyte and Bohol bought 30,000 bags and 3,000 bags, respectively.

For vulnerable groups

On Tuesday, the DA also launched the program in 12 Kadiwa centers in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces. Only members of vulnerable groups, including single parents, persons with disabilities, senior citizens and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program can purchase the discounted rice.

“The number of Kadiwa centers will increase to 32 on Thursday,” the DA said.

Under the project, the FTI and participating LGU will equally shoulder the P13-per-kilo subsidy to slash the retail price to P20 per kg. Local governments have the discretion to determine who are eligible to avail of the cheaper rice that the NFA has sourced from local farmers. INQ