Top News

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has scaled up its cheaper rice program by extending selling hours and opening more distribution outlets nationwide to relieve the pressure of the global oil crisis on Filipino consumers. 

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the expansion would steady food access as transport and logistics costs push up retail prices.

“We have sufficient food supply, but elevated fuel and logistics costs are pushing market prices to levels that further contain the budgets of many Filipinos,” Tiu Laurel said.

“By expanding access to affordable rice and essential goods, we are directly easing that pressure and ensuring vulnerable sectors are protected while we work to stabilize both prices and supply.”

To achieve this, the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) inked an agreement with the National Food Authority (NFA) that secured funding and supply commitments for 2026.

The deal earmarks P3 billion under the DA’s P10 billion budget Rice-for-All program to procure around 1.8 million 50-kilo bags of well-milled rice. 

As such, the DA is set to roll out an additional 900 P20 selling sites nationwide. It will prioritize Capiz, Bukidnon, Cebu, Cotabato, Catanduanes, and other high-need areas to expand access to affordable rice for vulnerable communities.

If realized, these would add to the 932 sites that already sell P20 rice across the country. These are composed of Kadiwa outlets, NFA warehouses, local governments (LGUs), national government agencies, and other sellers accredited by the FTI.

As rice stocks get released into the market, the DA noted that revenues are reinvested into more palay purchases, creating a continuous procurement cycle. 

This also frees up space in NFA warehouses, enabling the agency to buy more from farmers, especially during peak harvest periods when prices are most vulnerable.

“We assure that this budget will be used to secure better prices for our farmers, especially during the harvest season,” NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said. 

“In some areas, we have already increased our buying price to as much as P30 per kilo to prevent a drop in farmgate palay prices. The NFA continues to step in to protect the income of our farmers.”

For his part, FTI President and CEO Joseph Rudolph Lo stressed the “significant increase” in buyers of P20 per kilo rice.

“Given the current instability in market prices due to external conflicts, we are seeing a significant increase in buyers turning to our outlets to access quality rice at lower cost,” Lo said. 

“We are closely coordinating with government partners to manage this demand and are preparing to expand our network further, with a target of reaching 1,800 P20 rice selling sites nationwide by the end of 2026,” he added.

Source : businessmirror