DA to expand P20/kilo rice program to 14M beneficiaries by September

The Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to expand its P20 per kilo rice program to reach approximately 14 million beneficiaries by September.

The pilot program, initially launched on May 1 in select Visayan provinces, will now be extended to parts of Luzon and Mindanao.

Phase 2, starting in July, will target Zamboanga del Norte, Basilan, Cotabato City, Tawi-Tawi, the Maguindanao provinces, Davao Oriental, and Sorsogon.

Phase 3, beginning in September, will include Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Catanduanes, Agusan del Sur, Sarangani, and Dinagat Islands.

This subsidized-rice program is sourced from the National Food Authority, which has an inventory equivalent to about 8 million 50-kilo bags of milled rice.

The pilot test is scheduled to run until December and is targeted at vulnerable segments of society like the poor, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and single parents.

In areas where local government units (LGUs) share the subsidy, they will determine eligibility, with a limit of 30 kilos per household.