The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will expand the P20-per-kilo rice program to smallholder rice farmers despite criticisms.
The DA said the program will be launched on August 13 for rice farmers tilling no more than three hectares and who were enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA). Palay farmers will be allowed to purchase up to 10 kilograms of rice per month at a subsidized price of P20 per kilo, the DA said.
Farmers and farm workers may each claim a 50-kg sack that will cover their allocations from August to December in 2025, the DA said in a statement on Thursday, August 7.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. defended the program against detractors who have called it a temporary fix that would not address deeper structural issues in the sector.
“We’re offering affordable food to those who need it most… No one is being forced to avail of it. We’re simply trying to make life a little less difficult for the people who feed this country. This is one step—just one—toward greater food security,” Tiu Laurel said.
He assured agricultural stakeholders that long-term reforms have been set in motion, including proposals to increase the rice import tax and suspend importation.
He said the pace of policy change has been hampered by a lack of reliable data that would have been accessible and available had the National Food Authority retained its regulatory functions.
“Without accurate, timely data, we risk making policy in the dark… We listen to the people with their boots in the mud—the farmers who work the land—not to armchair critics who offer no real solutions,” Tiu Laurel said.
“Criticism without constructive alternatives only slows us down. If you truly care about the sector, offer ideas. Help us build. Don’t just tear down,” the DA chief added.
Earlier, the DA said palay farmers in the regions of Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon will be the first batch of rice tillers who can buy the P20/kilo rice starting August 13.
The DA did not say how many rice farmers registered under the RSBSA were in the two regions, but noted that overall, 2.9 million rice farmers have been listed in the RSBSA. The DA did not provide figures on how many rice farmers will be allowed to buy the P20/kilo rice in succeeding batches.
The agency earlier said that logistics for the P20/kilo rice sale have been going through fine-tuning.
It also had plans to offer the P20/kilo rice to 2.8 million fisherfolk enrolled in the RSBSA.
