The Department of Agriculture (DA) is now selling rice at P29 per kilo in five Kadiwa stores in Metro Manila, Malacañang said on Sunday.

According to Malacañang, the DA said that each household can purchase a maximum of 5 kilos of rice, depending on its availability.

The P29 per kilo rice is available at the following locations: ADC Building of the Department of Agriculture-Central Office in Quezon City; Kadiwa Center inside the Bureau of Plant Industry in Malate, Manila; Kadiwa Store-Llano Road in Barangay 167, Caloocan City; Kadiwa Store, AMVA Housing, La Mesa Street in Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City; and Kadiwa Center, PhilFIDA Compound, Aria Street, Talon Dos, Las Piñas City.

“The sale of rice at P29 per kilo will continue as the government projects to produce more than 100 million kilos of rice by August this year through contract farming agreement with Farmers’ Cooperatives Associations (FCAs),” Malacañang said.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said other food items such as fish, eggs, onions, garlic, vegetables and fruits are also available at Kadiwa stores.

265 stores in all

Currently, there are 265 regular Kadiwa stores and 119 Kadiwa pop-up stores operating nationwide on scheduled dates to meet consumer demand.

Kadiwa, a flagship program of the Marcos administration, aims to address rising food prices. It provides farmers, fisherfolk, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with venues to sell their produce and facilitates market linkages. This program helps lower product prices by eliminating unnecessary layers in the trading cycle.

Recently, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that he would prioritize the proposed amendments to Republic Act 11203, known as the Rice Tariffication Law, to reduce rice prices in the country.

President Marcos mentioned that the House of Representatives and the Senate have devised a solution that would allow the government to import rice, which will eventually lead to lower rice prices.