Not a single grain of low-quality rice will leave warehouses for the P20-per-kilo rice program, the National Food Authority (NFA) assured the public on Saturday amid plans to expand the subsidized rice distribution in the Visayas.

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson made the strong assurance in a radio interview with dzBB, clarifying viral videos questioning the quality of rice allegedly linked to the government's P20-per-kilo initiative.

“Not a single grain of NFA rice has been released from our warehouses for this purpose,” Lacson said in Filipino, emphasizing that the rice used for the program is the same well-milled variety distributed under the Food Security Emergency Program, which sells for P30 per kilo.

“We are making sure that nothing will come out of the warehouses unless it meets our quality standards,” he added.

The rollout of the much-anticipated P20-per-kilo rice program in the Visayas is now moving forward, starting with Regions 6, 7, 8, and the Negros Island Region. According to Lacson, the NFA has enough inventory to support the initial stages of the program, with about 370,000 metric tons of rice — equivalent to 7.5 million sacks — stored across the country. Of that, 1.2 million bags are located in the target Visayas regions.

The rice will be sourced from existing NFA stocks and milled palay (unhusked rice) collected during peak harvest seasons. Lacson said the move not only aims to serve the public but also enables the agency to free up space and purchase more palay from local farmers.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel clarified that the program is essentially a rice subsidy, which had been in planning stages since June of last year.

“We are now able to purchase rice at $400 per metric ton — a significant drop from the previous $700. That’s why we were finally able to launch the P20-per-kilo rice program,” he said.

Laurel said that provincial governors have been entrusted with the planning and rollout of the program in their regions.

For his part, Lacson noted that the NFA is already conducting detailed studies to assess whether the P20 rice program can be sustained beyond the pilot phase, possibly until early 2026.