The Department of Agriculture (DA) expressed its disappointment over Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks about the alleged poor quality of the ₱20-per-kilo rice, which is set to be sold in a pilot run in Visayas.

"With all due respect to the Vice President, the Department of Agriculture family is deeply hurt by her suggestion that NFA (National Food Authority) rice to be sold is hindi pang tao, pang hayop (not for humans, but for animals)," said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel in a statement.

On Wednesday, April 23, Laurel announced that the agency will launch the P20 program, where rice will be sold at ₱20. The program will be piloted in Visayas, with a planned nationwide rollout.

On the same day, Duterte raised doubt about the quality of the rice, claiming that it is the type of rice being fed to pigs.

Laurel stressed that his agency is committed to ensuring that the quality of the ₱20 rice is of the highest standards.

“At the DA, we cook and eat NFA rice everyday. We can personally vouch for its quality and safety," he noted.

The P20 program will procure its rice from the NFA which acquires its stock from local farmers, as mandated by law.

Laurel said likening NFA rice to animal feed is an “affront” to the rice produced by “millions of hardworking farmers.”

"We are proud of the quality of Filipino rice,” he added.

The Agriculture Secretary said the rice program is a key component in fulfilling the campaign promise of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to bring down the price of rice to as low as ₱20.

With this, he said the Vice President should “set aside political differences” and instead “work in unity” with the DA to improve the lives of Filipinos.

"We urge the Vice President to join us in this noble endeavor. This initiative is for the Filipino people—whom we have all sworn to serve. Their well-being must remain our highest priority," said Laurel.

Laurel said the rice program will run until December, with a possible extension to February 2026.

However, he noted that President Marcos already instructed the agency to ensure the program’s sustainability until 2028, or the final year of his six-year term.

The ₱20 rice will be subsidized, with the price gap between the market price of around ₱32 to ₱33 and the selling price to be shared by the DA—through the Food Terminal Inc.—and participating local government units (LGUs).

For instance, with a ₱13-gap in ₱33 rice, the FTI will shoulder ₱6.50, while the LGU will cover the remaining ₱6.50.

These LGUs will oversee the program’s pilot, which could start as early as next week.