Starting in August, rice farmers will be included as beneficiaries of the “P20 Bigas Meron Na” program, the Department of Agriculture announced during the Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Discussion on Food Security and Economic Development on Tuesday in San Juan City.

“By 13 August, for our rice farmers, we will start selling P20 rice to our rice farmers. That is our aid to them amid the low price of palays. At least, they can avail of low-priced rice,” said Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. in an ambush interview.

Tiu Laurel said the measure will be implemented nationwide, facilitated by the National Food Authority’s Food Terminal Inc. in all its warehouses.

Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel said the DA will ask for an additional P18 billion in funding for the P20 rice program to benefit more less-fortunate families.

“The P18 billion is for next year for 15 million households. We are targeting lower-middle income, but that is not yet final as we will first consult our technical working group, from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, DA, among others,” he said.

App launch

Further, Secretary Tiu Laurel said that by October, the government will launch an application with a QR (quick response) code that would register citizens who will be qualified under criteria set by the government.

“Then they will use that QR code to get their allocation, either from Kadiwa Centers, or accredited palengke centers. Another idea that is not yet finalized is the use of all schools in the country, using the DepEd school system,” Tiu Laurel explained.

He said the vulnerable sectors are entitled to purchase 30 kilos of P20 rice per month, while minimum wage earners can only secure 10 kilos of the cheap rice per month.

During his SONA on Monday, the President silenced skeptics of his administration’s Benteng Bigas Meron Na program, saying rice at the affordable price of P20 per kilo will be available nationwide.

He said the government would pour P113 billion into the DA to roll out the P20 rice program all over the country via Kadiwa stores and centers.

The Marcos administration has successfully launched outlets for the Benteng Bigas Meron Na program in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Making rice more affordable and accessible reflects the administration’s commitment to easing the financial burden of Filipino families while sustaining the livelihood of the country’s farmers.

The Kadiwa ng Pangulo stores sell rice at P20 per kilo to members of vulnerable sectors, which include indigents, senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, and minimum wage workers.