More beneficiaries from the vulnerable sector may avail of the government’s P29-per-kilo rice as the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be expanding the program to Kadiwa sites in Laguna and Cavite.

DA Assistant Secretary for Consumer and Legislative Affairs Genevieve Guevarra said broadening the rice program is a “well-considered action as the government is progressing ahead of schedule,” done with careful planning to maximize the program’s impact on disadvantaged Filipinos.

“Other local government units are requesting that Kadiwa bring the P29 rice program to their areas, but we have to do this [in] a calibrated manner,” she said.

She added that the program is in demand among vulnerable sectors in the cities of San Pedro, Laguna and Bacoor, Cavite.

“We want to ensure this program succeeds to extend its benefits to the most number of vulnerable Filipino households,” Gueverra added.

Launched earlier this month, Program 29 (P29) is currently operational at 15 Kadiwa sites nationwide. Under the program, the government sells aging buffer rice stocks for P29 per kilo, assured to be safe for human consumption.

Beneficiaries of the program include senior citizens, single parents, persons with disabilities, and beneficiaries of the government’s 4Ps program.

Over 12.7 tons of rice were sold in Kadiwa centers to more than 25,000 households in the first two weeks of its large-scale trial, according to the DA.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., plans to expand the P29 outside Luzon by August.

Another government initiative to provide consumers with more affordable rice is the Rice for All Program, where the staple grain will be sold to the general public from P45 per kilo to P48 per kilo or lower.

It is targeted to be implemented alongside P29 in Kadiwa centers this July.