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THE government’s P20-per-kilogram rice nationwide program dubbed Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! (BBM Na!) has expanded throughout Aklan, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Friday.

The program, launched in the province last year, initially served 22,000 households through the coordination between Food Terminal Inc. and the provincial government of Aklan.

The expanded rollout will benefit up to 85,000 individuals, including persons with disabilities, senior citizens, solo parents, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, minimum wage earners, farmers and fisherfolk, and members of the transport sector, the DA said.

The broader implementation is aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to protect consumers from food price hikes while promoting nutrition security across the country, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

The program supports the entire value chain, Tiu Laurel pointed out, saying that releasing National Food Authority ( A) stocks (as the rice source) frees up storage space in its warehouses. This allows A to buy more palay (unhusked rice) from local farmers at fair prices.

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

DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said the agency is continuously strengthening the program.

”We aim to institutionalize it so that affordable rice can be delivered to the people continuously and systematically, while ensuring a fair return of benefits to our farmers,” she said.

Aside from the expanded rice program, the DA also granted a comprehensive package of agricultural interventions to boost productivity and livelihoods in Aklan.

It distributed about P75 million in assistance, including four-wheel drive tractors, seeds and fertilizers, farm inputs, composting facilities, hybrid solar renewable energy systems for multiplier farms, rice combine harvesters, crop insurance indemnity checks, 20-footer fiberglass fishing boats, and trading capital for Kadiwa outlets.

Source : msn