SAYING that his initiative to sell rice at P20 a kilo is not a band-aid solution, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that affordable rice will soon be made available in more public markets.
Marcos gave the assurance in a vlog released by Malacañang on Sunday, where he said the P20 per kilo rice, being sold at Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets, is part of the government’s efforts to make affordable food more accessible to vulnerable sectors.
It also helps strengthen the agriculture sector through an enhanced and sustained collaboration between the national and local governments, he said.
“P20 rice is here to stay. It is achievable; it is sustainable. So, watch out for it in your nearest public markets,” he said.
Dubbed as “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na! (BBM),” the P20 per kilo rice was among Marcos’ campaign promises in 2022.
The cheaper food staple may be purchased by indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), solo parents, and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and low-income households.
It is implemented through the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA), plus other agencies tapped for the government’s food subsidy and social welfare programs.
The president also reaffirmed the government remains committed to ensuring farmers are fairly paid for the palay, or unhusked grains, they produce.
The NFA is mandated to buy wet palay at P18 per kilo and dry palay at P19 to P23 per kilo.
“No matter what the price of rice is in the market, the NFA’s purchase of rice from our farmers will not decrease,” Marcos said in Filipino.
He said the government will set up rice processing plants across the country and provide dryers to farmers.
With a dryer, a farmer “can sell his dried rice anywhere. He won’t be forced to sell his rice at whatever price the trader gives him,” Marcos said.
When newly appointed national and local officials assumed office on June 30, Marcos encouraged them to work together for service delivery.
Addressing concerns that the low rice prices could hurt farmers, Marcos reiterated that safeguards are in place to prevent palay prices from dropping.
WITH PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY
