THE GOVERNMENT assured a stable rice supply for its P20-per-kilo rice program through the end of the year and even into 2026, with over 420,000 metric tons of rice now under the National Food Authority’s (NFA) stockpile.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the “Benteng Bigas Mayroon Na” initiative, which is part of Phase 1 of the P20 rice program, has seen early success.
“Actually, [at the] start, the NFA had around 320,000 metric tons in supply,” De Mesa said in Filipino at a media forum on Monday. “Because of the NFA’s prompt action… it rose to over 420,000 metric tons, equivalent to more than eight million bags available to us.”
He also reported that as of mid-June, the program is active in over 90 areas nationwide, with more than 100 additional locations scheduled for rollout in July.
Since the start of Phase 1, over 441,000 metric tons of rice have been distributed through the program, benefitting 52,000 households in regions including Metro Manila, Ilocos region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and parts of the Visayas.
The DA also launched a special rollout for minimum wage earners in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment. On June 13, during a nationwide launch, 99 companies participated and more than 16,000 minimum wage earners received access to the P20 per kilo rice.
“This group is part of the 120,000 wage earners we aim to initially reach in the coming days,” de Mesa said.
To maintain the program beyond next year, the DA is seeking a P10-billion budget for 2026. This is double its current P5-billion allocation sourced from the Office of the President’s contingency fund.
Price cuts expected
De Mesa also announced additional price drops under the “Rice for All” program starting July 1, in line with directives from Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
For imported premium rice with five percent broken grains, prices will be reduced from P45 to P43 per kilo.
Other varieties, such as 25 percent broken and 100 percent broken grains, currently priced at P33, will see a reduction of P1 to P2 per kilo.
“The P20 rice, of course, will stay at its current price, but the broader drops across categories are also significant,” de Mesa explained.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority has shown rice prices trending downward since earlier this year.
In addition, the agency mentioned that some market prices are now at P30 to P35 per kilo. It also expects these declines to continue through December.
President Ferdinand Marcos has instructed the DA to expand and sustain the P20-per-kilo rice program until 2028.
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