The Marcos administration has assured rice farmers that there are contingency funds and measures to support them during the rollout of P20 per kilo of rice meant for indigents and chosen sectors of society.

This was amid sentiments from farmers that they are now reeling from the low farm gate price of palay to as low as P8 per kilo in several provinces, particularly in the farmlands of Central and Northern Luzon.

“To reassure our farmers, the President maintained that their income will not decrease because the government has funds for this. The P20 rice program also strengthens support for partner farmers because they can now sell directly to the market, eliminating the need for middlemen and reducing post-harvest losses,” said Undersecretary Claire Castro in Filipino during a Palace press briefing on Wednesday.

Castro further said that the government aims to have enough food on the table of every Filipino.

“Since the P20 rice rollout began in May, senior citizens, solo parents, PWDs, and 4Ps members have been able to buy cheap and quality rice. Now, the rice rollout will begin in public markets so that more of our countrymen can benefit from it,” she said.

The Palace spokesperson further relayed that the President also directed government agencies to extend, consolidate, and expand the scope of the P20 rice program.

“The Department of Agriculture will continue the relationship it has started with the LGUs so that more markets can sell quality and affordable rice. The Department of Social Welfare and Development, meanwhile, will provide a list of areas where many of our countrymen will benefit from the rice rollout, especially the vulnerable sectors,” Castro added.

For their part, the Department of the Interior and Local Government will ensure that the LGUs submit their accomplishment reports on the implementation of the program, according to Castro.

On Wednesday morning, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally led the launch of the P20 per kg. rice initiative at the Zapote Public Market in Bacoor, Cavite, as part of his administration’s push to make rice more affordable for low-income Filipino families.

The program, dubbed “Benteng Bigas, Meron (BBM) Na!” is implemented through the DA and the National Food Authority, in coordination with other agencies handling food subsidy and social welfare programs.

In Bacoor City, 500 sacks of rice — procured by the NFA from local farmers — were delivered through the DA’s Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlet at the Zapote-Bacoor Public Market.

The rice allotment is enough to allow 2,500 residents to purchase 10 kg. each at a subsidized price of P20 per kg. The DA’s Food Terminal Inc. buys the rice from NFA and sells it through the Kadiwa ng Pangulo network and other P20 program participants.

Data from the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service show that between 13 May and 30 June, more than 105,000 families in Luzon and the Visayas purchased over 804,000 kg. of rice under the program.