Rice program widens Mindanao reach

The P20-per-kilo rice program is on track to reach 60 million Filipinos this year, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) brings affordable rice across more towns in Mindanao.

The agency said on Thursday it expanded the subsidized rice initiative through the establishment of new KADIWA Bagsakan Centers and distribution channels in Maco, Davao de Oro and Carmen, Davao del Norte.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing and Consumer Affairs and KADIWA ng Pangulo Program head Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra said the initiative is especially timely as global developments threaten food supply and prices.

“This program is really timely. Amid tensions in the Middle East that could affect global food supply and food prices, it is important to ensure that every Filipino family has sufficient and affordable rice,” Velicaria-Guevarra said.

Early this week, the DA inaugurated a P6.8-million KADIWA Bagsakan Center in Barangay Elizalde, Maco, which includes upgraded storage facilities and a hauling truck to support the consolidation and distribution of agricultural products.

More than 500 farmers from 12 farmers’ associations and cooperatives in the Masara line barangays of Maco are expected to benefit from the facility, which will support the marketing of commodities such as coffee, cacao, bananas, corn, and upland vegetables.

The DA also turned over a P5-million KADIWA Bagsakan Center to the municipal government of Carmen, Davao del Norte.

The project includes the establishment of a KADIWA store and the procurement of a transport vehicle to support the consolidation and distribution of agricultural products.

The facility is expected to benefit 24 farmers’ cooperatives and associations with about 2,926 producer-beneficiaries, helping strengthen direct farmer-to-consumer marketing while reducing logistics costs.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government is working to significantly expand the reach of the subsidized rice program this year as part of its broader food security strategy.

“Our goal this year is to reach around 60 million Filipinos and give them access to affordable rice and other essential food through KADIWA and similar programs, especially at a time of global uncertainty affecting food supply and prices,” Laurel said.

This year, the DA is operating with nearly P23 billion to sustain the rice program, covering funding for the National Food Authority, the Rice for All initiative, and contingency allocations.