THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will scale up the P20-per-kilo rice program to serve 15 million households, or approximately 60 million beneficiaries, by the end of next year.
The “Benteng Bigas Meron Na!” program makes subsidized rice available to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and indigents. They may purchase up to 30 kilos of rice through Kadiwa outlets and other authorized stores.
The rice is sourced from the National Food Authority (NFA).
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. told reporters on Tuesday that the program’s expansion will begin in January with a launch in Pangasinan. He said major launches are also planned in eight provinces by February.
The program recently reached its 82nd province with the opening of P20 rice outlets in Maguindanao del Norte. As of December, the DA said it had opened 740 distribution points nationwide.
The DA said it aims to establish at least one outlet in each of the country’s more than 1,600 cities and municipalities, with the total number of outlets targeted at 3,000 by 2028, when the current administration steps down.
“There will be many distribution outlets. To achieve that, we need to open stores every few weeks,” Mr. Laurel said.
The DA said it aims to sell between 1.5 million and 1.8 million metric tons of subsidized rice next year.
Mr. Laurel said the program will be allocated a budget of P23 billion, consisting of P9 billion from the NFA, P10 billion from the Rice-for-All program, and P4 billion in contingency funds.
Meanwhile, the DA said it is working to address logistical and operational challenges, particularly in geographically isolated areas and locations far from NFA warehouses.
“The challenge is how to bring the rice to remote islands and remote areas, places without NFA warehouses,” Mr. Laurel said. “Support from local government units will be a big help. We will need to provide trucks and hire drivers and cashiers.” — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel