The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is mulling to sell P40 per kilo of rice across the country through the “Rice-for-All” program even as it assured that the affordable price of the commodity will still provide decent income for farmers.
DA Assistant Secretary Genevieve Guevarra said more “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” trade centers are expected to be established by the government to give Filipinos further access to the P40 per kilo rice.
“Ang plano po ay palawigin pa at ilagay ang mga Kadiwa ng Pangulo kiosks sa lahat po ng major na palengke nationwide (The plan is to expand [the program] and put up Kadiwa ng Pangulo kiosks in all major markets nationwide),” she said in a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, Dec. 7.
The DA started selling rice at P40 per kilo at Kadiwa stores in major public markets in Metro Manila, as well as MRT and LRT stations, last Thursday, Dec. 5. The rice is available every Tuesday to Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Guevarra said the DA is hoping to open five more kiosks in other public markets next week.
Similar arrangements will be done in LRT and MRT stations in coordination with the Department of Transportation, and initial sites will be in Monumento and LRT North EDSA.
To recall, President Marcos Jr. banked on his campaign promise of bringing down the price of rice to P20 a kilo.
“Kami ngayon ay nakikipag-ugnayan sa aming mga regional counterparts. Ina-identify na po natin iyong ating mga sites na puwede doon sa Kadiwa (We are now coordinating with our regional counterparts. We are identifying available sites where we can establish Kadiwa kiosks),” Guevarra said.
“At the same time, nakipag-usap tayo sa mga retailer association at sa mga importers (we have also talked to retailer associations and importers). They're very much willing to help,” the official added.
The DA said that a lot of people are availing the services of the Rice-for-All program, with 30 bags of 25-kilo rice sold in an hour.
Meanwhile, the agriculture department said it was balancing efforts to ensure affordable rice in local markets and decent income for farmers.
“Binabalanse po natin ang kagustuhan ng ating mga magsasaka at kagustuhan ng ating mga mamimili (We are balancing the demands of our farmers and the needs of our consumers),” Guevarra said.
According to her, the DA continues to recognize the sentiments of farmers whenever rice prices in the market are low.
“May ripple effect kapag masyadong binabaan ang presyo ng bigas. Kung nagtatanim ako ng bigas, baka madismaya ako na magtanim pa dahil nga wala naman kikitain kung ganiyan na kababa ang presyo (There’s a ripple effect if the price of rice is too low. If I am a farmer, I might get disappointed and stop planting because I won’t earn from a very low price),” Guevarra said.
She said the DA still helps farmers through the agency’s banner programs meant to assist rice producing areas often affected by floods and typhoons.