Cebu: The 'Bente Pesos na Bigas Meron Na' program is set to launch as a strategic response to the ongoing oversupply of rice in local markets, serving as a dual-purpose initiative to curb inflation and support local farmers, according to an official statement made on Thursday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Department of Agriculture (DA) Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa highlighted the program's objective to balance supply and demand issues ahead of its official launch in Cebu. De Mesa emphasized that the initiative is designed to benefit both ordinary Filipinos and the farmers themselves, by addressing the critical economic issues they face.
The DA is initiating the program in the Visayas region, focusing on approximately 800,000 households-equating to around four million individuals-particularly in areas grappling with high poverty and food inflation, such as Cebu. De Mesa referenced data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, noting that the region was selected based on its susceptibility to food insecurity and escalating consumer prices.
De Mesa clarified that this program is an expansion of existing DA efforts, including the 'Rice for All' and PHP29 rice programs. The launch coincides with the National Food Authority (NFA) managing surplus rice stocks from recent peak harvests, with plans to acquire an additional 500,000 metric tons due to an increased budget.
Currently, the NFA purchases palay (unhusked rice) from farmers at PHP23 to PHP24 per kilo, which is above the prevailing farm-gate prices. While the rice is available to the public at a subsidized PHP20 per kilo, the actual selling price to Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) is PHP33. This price gap is bridged by a PHP5-billion subsidy, allocating PHP4.5 billion for rice cost-sharing and PHP500 million for logistics and packaging. Participating local government units also contribute PHP6.50 per kilo in shared subsidy.
Despite the DA's technical role, De Mesa stated that its mandate now involves taking decisive actions to support the community. He reiterated the DA's commitment to aiding farmers and citizens in alignment with the President's goal of ensuring food availability, affordability, and accessibility for every Filipino.
The national rollout of the PHP20 per kilo rice is planned for January 2026, following the stress-testing of logistics, storage, and distribution systems during the pilot phase, De Mesa concluded.
