P20 per kilo rice to be sold at Kadiwa centers starting May 2
P20-per-kilo rice will be sold at Kadiwa centers beginning May 2, the Department of Agriculture announced.
On April 28, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. revealed the launch date for the P20 Rice Project.
This comes after the DA secured clearance from the Commission on Elections to sell P20-per-kilo subsidized rice, which will come from the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority.
"The initiative is expected to free up NFA warehouse space, enabling increased rice procurement from local farmers during the harvest," the DA said.
The Agriculture Secretary added that the P20 rice will also be sold by local governments, but did not specify which ones.
"The new rice option aligns with the 'Bente Bigas Mo' pilot program in the Visayas and in the 10 LGUs that have joined the initiative, where NFA rice is sold at P33 per kilo due to the national food security emergency," he said. Among these LGUs are San Juan City, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, Camarines Sur, and Mati City in Davao Oriental.
The program will only be available to indigents, senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities. They can purchase up to 30 kilos of rice per month.
On April 27, the DA said it has instructed the NFA to move rice stocks to Visayas in time for the program's launch.
The island group was selected for the pilot run of the P20-per-kilo rice program due to its higher poverty rate, Tiu Laurel said.
The program was originally intended to run until December, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the agency to expand it nationwide until the end of his term in 2028.
According to DA's price monitoring sheet for April 21 to 26, Kadiwa rice-for-all is priced at P35.
During his presidential campaign, Marcos promised to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo.
