The Marcos Jr. administration has assured rice farmers that contingency funds and support measures are in place to assist them during the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice initiative aimed at indigents and selected sectors of society.

This assurance comes amid concerns from farmers who are struggling with plummeting farm gate prices of palay, which have reportedly dropped to as low as P8 per kilo in various provinces, especially in 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 emphasized that the government aims to ensure every Filipino has enough food on the table.

“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 also shared that the President has 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.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government will monitor the LGUs’ implementation of the program and ensure submission of accomplishment reports, she noted.

On Wednesday morning, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally led the launch of the P20-per-kilo rice initiative at the Zapote Public Market in Bacoor, Cavite, reinforcing 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 supply is enough for 2,500 residents to purchase 10 kilograms each at a subsidized price of P20 per kilo. The DA’s Food Terminal Inc. buys rice from the NFA and distributes it through the Kadiwa network and other P20 program participants.

According to data from the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service, more than 105,000 families across Luzon and the Visayas have purchased over 804,000 kilograms of rice under the program between 13 May and 30 June.

with PNA