The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the sale of P20 per kilo of rice under the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program will start in the Visayas and several cities across the country by May 2.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement on Monday the P20/kg rice to be sold through the government’s Kadiwa rolling stores will be available only to indigents, senior citizens, solo parents and persons with disabilities.
Individuals in these vulnerable sectors have been identified in the updated master lists of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, as well as the and the local government units (LGUs).
Tiu Laurel added that beneficiaries will be allowed to purchase up to 30 kg of rice per month at the Kadiwa rolling stores as stocks from these outlets will be procured by the Food Terminal Inc. from the National Food Authority (NFA).
However, he clarified that during the pilot run, participating LGUs who co-subsidize the project may make the new rice option available to all households in their communities, regardless of vulnerability status.
“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 selling for P33/kg due to the national food security emergency (declared earlier by the national government). These LGUs include San Juan City in Metro Manila, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, Camarines Sur and Mati City in Davao Oriental,” Tiu Laurel explained.
The DA chief added that the P20/kg rice initiative would ease the financial burden on millions of families while ensuring that rice farmers receive fair compensation for their harvests.
Tiu Laurel assured the public that the DA would continue fine-tuning the program over time, reduce government subsidy requirements and redirect savings toward other agricultural and economic development projects.
Last week, Tiu Laurel said the government would need about P3.5 to P4.5 billion as subsidy for the program, which was originally intended to run only until December 2025, but which has been expanded nationwide by President Marcos Jr. until the end of his term in 2028.
Earlier, the DA said it already instructed the NFA to begin repositioning rice stocks to the Visayas region, in preparation for the launch of the P20/kg rice program.
The Commission on Elections has also cleared the program for roll-out during the election period to comply with Comelec prohibitions against vote-buying and electioneering since LGUs, many of which have local officials running for reelection, will be involved in the rice distribution.
Based on the DA’s latest monitoring of public markets in the National Capital Region, local well-milled rice sold for P37 to P54/kg on April 24, while regular milled rice went for P35 to P43/kg.
Imported well-milled rice was selling for P43 to P45/kg while the price of imported regular milled rice ranged from P35 to P45 per kg.
Special-variety imported rice fetched P52 to P65 and premium rice, P43 to P55.
Special-variety local rice was selling for P50 to P65 per kg while premium rice went for P44 to P60/kg.
