By Minerva Bc Newman ‘BUGAS’, ‘HUMAY’ − 500,000 sacks of imported rice from Vietnam are delivered to a National Food Authority warehouse at the north Reclamation Area in Cebu City. The Departmernt of Agriculture also launched the ‘Bigasan ng Bayan’, wherein rice from Bohol will be sold at cheaper prices. (Juan Carlo de Vela) Cebu City – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Central Visayas will roll out the ‘Bigasan ng Masa’ on June 29 at the DA regional office in Mandaue City, where rice from Bohol will be sold at a more affordable price. DA-7 Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Information Services (RAFIS) chief Cheryl de la Victoria said importation of rice is essential for the ‘Bigasan ng Masa’ program since Cebu is not a rice producing metropolis. “We will import two tons of rice from Bohol which is equivalent to 3,000 kilos of rice. ‘Bigasan ng Masa’ is in response to the public’s request to avail of quality rice with an affordable price,” De la Victoria said. She assured the high quality of the rice despite its lower retail price. With the ‘Bigasan ng Masa’, the public can buy special premium rice at P48, well-milled rice at P44, under-milled rice at P38,  brown rice at P40 and black rice at P70 per kilo, Dela Victoria said. The ‘Bigasan ng Masa’ program is an avenue to encourage farmers to plant more rice to lessen rice importation from Thailand and Vietnam.