The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expanding its P20 rice program in Manila to deliver affordable food directly to millions of residents in one of the country’s most densely populated cities.

The agency said Saturday it is pushing to scale up KADIWA markets and the P20 rice initiative to widen access to affordable rice and basic food staples.

The agency recently met with the City Government of Manila, home to around 2 million residents and a daily population that swells by another million, to ensure steady access to low-cost food while boosting urban agriculture to cushion families from supply disruptions and rising prices.

Officials also focused on expanding the Gulayan sa Bayan Program, which promotes household- and community-level food production to improve nutrition, food availability, and resilience in urban areas, while cutting logistics costs and dependence on outside supply chains.

The meeting was attended by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, DA Undersecretary for High Value Crops Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero, and Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs Atty. Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra.

Caballero pointed to Manila’s strong demand for high-value crops and the economic case for urban farming. 

“The market for vegetables, herbs, and other high-demand crops in Manila is huge,” she said. 

“Urban farming brings production closer to the market, cuts costs, and creates income opportunities for communities. Cities play a critical role in building sustainable food systems.”

Moreno said the city will support the expanded rollout of KADIWA and the P20 rice program, while engaging young people in food production. “We will expand access to affordable rice for Manileños, while teaching the youth that food can be grown even in the city,” he said.

Guevarra said the P20 rice program is being rolled out more widely across Metro Manila to reach more urban families in need.

The 2026 rice program expansion is estimated to cost about P14 billion, including around P4 billion carried over from the previous year, excluding a separate P9 billion budget for palay procurement.