NFA ships 35,000 bags of rice to Cebu under PHP20/kg BBM program

The National Food Authority (NFA) shipped another 35,000 bags of rice to Cebu on Monday as part of the PHP20 per kg rice program dubbed 'Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na' in Central Visayas.

This shipment is the second batch of a total order of 100,000 sacks requested by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia for distribution at P20 per kilogram.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the send-off ceremony in San Jose, Oriental Mindoro, alongside NFA Administrator Larry Lacson.

The rice was sourced from Mindoro, a major rice-producing region where farmers have opted to wait for NFA procurement due to its better rates of up to PHP24 per kg compared to private traders' prices ranging from PHP13.50 to PHP18 per kg.

Tiu Laurel emphasized that the program aims to support both food security and fair compensation for agricultural producers, thanking local farmers in Mindoro for their trust in NFA procurement practices.