The Department of Agriculture (DA) has taken center stage in the government’s effort to deliver affordable rice while boosting local production, as it officially launched the expanded “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program in Bacoor City, Cavite.

On Wednesday, 2 July, DA officials led the launch, marking a major milestone in the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice initiative. Originally designed for pilot testing in the Visayas, the program is now being scaled up in urban centers across the country with a target of reaching 15 million beneficiaries by 2026.

The DA, through its attached agencies and regional offices, is managing the complex logistics behind the rice distribution effort. At the Zapote-Bacoor Public Market, 500 sacks of rice sourced from local farmers through the National Food Authority (NFA) were sold to residents at the subsidized price of P20 per kilo. The department’s Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) handles the rice purchases and coordinates delivery to KADIWA ng Pangulo outlets and other participating retailers.

Between 13 May and 30 June, over 804,000 kilos of rice were sold to more than 105,000 families in Luzon and the Visayas, according to the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service. The program prioritizes marginalized sectors, including senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, and now minimum wage earners – with projections of reaching one million workers by year-end.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the program was designed to create a sustainable market for local rice farmers while easing price pressures for consumers. 

“For every sack of rice sold under this program, we remove two bags of palay from NFA warehouses – stocks that must be replaced by grain from our farmers,” Laurel said.

“This creates a sustainable market for local producers while helping Filipino households access affordable staple food.”

The initiative is also helping the NFA decongest its storage facilities while ensuring that procurement funds are recycled back into the countryside – reinforcing the DA’s mandate to support rural economies through market-based interventions.

To date, 94 P20 rice outlets have been established nationwide under DA supervision, with the Bacoor launch expected to serve as a model for community-based rice supply systems. The effort is part of a broader, whole-of-government strategy involving the Departments of Labor, Social Welfare, and Local Government, with the DA taking a lead coordination role.