Marcos assures PHP20 per kilo rice program is permanent

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured the public in his latest vlog that the PHP20 per kilo rice program is a permanent initiative and will soon be available in more public markets nationwide.

Despite some farmers' concerns about its sustainability, President Marcos described the P20-per-kilo rice program as 'achievable' and 'sustainable', emphasizing cooperation between national and local government agencies to ensure its continued implementation.

Marcos emphasized that safeguards are in place to protect farmers from low palay prices, with the National Food Authority mandated to purchase wet palay at PHP18 per kilo and dry palay between PHP19 to PHP23 per kilo.

The President also cited the continued rollout of rice processing facilities and dryers across the country to empower farmers to store and process their harvest, addressing concerns that some farmers were forced to sell palay below market prices due to urgent cash needs or lack of access to NFA buying stations.