National Food Authority Administrator Larry Lacson said Friday that the agency opened more warehouses to expand the P20 per kilogram rice program for farmers who were unable to reserve rice for their households.
The openings started Wednesday, 13 August, in Regions II, III, and parts of the Cordillera Administrative Region, Lacson said in an interview.
“We were really glad with the strong demand. But the quantity per family is small, around 40 kilos is usually needed,” he said.
The agency set the limit at 10 kilos per family because allowing more purchases could overwhelm supply for about 2.8 million small farmers if everyone buys at the same time.
Along with this, the NFA will also provide assistance to farmers registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, or RSBSA, which is the primary requirement.
The goal is to stretch the supply to benefit more agricultural workers and farmers.
Lacson said the agency aims to open at least 130 warehouses nationwide to ensure there is enough rice for farmers.
The RSBSA is a database managed by the Department of Agriculture of Filipino farmers, fisherfolk and agri-youth. It helps identify those eligible for programs, financial assistance, crop insurance and other interventions.