The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that its initiative of selling rice at ₱20 per kilo will be expanded into the Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) program and participating local government units (LGUs) nationwide, starting on Friday, May 2.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said this offering aligns with the pilot of its ₱20 rice program in the Visayas region—now known as the “Bente Bigas Mo” program.

With this new program, rice will be sold at KNP centers exclusively to indigents, senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Unlike the pilot run, which allowed the purchase of up to 40 kilos of rice per month, this will be limited to 30 kilos per month.

However, participating LGUs that share in the program’s subsidy “may make” the ₱20 option available to all households in their community regardless of status.

Given the gap between the selling price and the current market price, the ₱20 rice will be subsidized by the DA, through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), and the LGU.

For instance, for a market price of ₱33, the FTI will shoulder ₱6.50, while the LGU will cover the remaining ₱6.50.

The rice for this initiative will come from the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority (NFA), which the FTI will procure.

Last week, the NFA’s stock reached a five-year high of 378,157 metric tons (MT), equivalent to 7.56 million bags of rice. This is enough to feed the country’s population for 10 days.

Laurel credited the strong buffer stocks, alongside the decline in world market prices, with finally triggering the launch of the ₱20 rice initiative.

He explained that this has been under consideration since June of last year, but was deemed impractical because of elevated global prices and low NFA stock levels.
“We felt the conditions were finally right to launch,” he said.

Vice President Sara Duterte earlier questioned the supposed political motives behind the DA’s decision to launch this program amid the ongoing campaign period for the upcoming midterm elections next month.

Laurel stressed that selling rice as low as ₱20 is meant to ease the financial burden on millions of Filipino families while ensuring rice farmers receive fair compensation for their harvests.
The DA has since secured clearance from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proceed with the sale of the ₱20 subsidized rice, provided that certain conditions are met.

Laurel said his agency is committed to enhancing the program over time, with plans to reduce government subsidy requirements and redirect savings toward other agricultural and economic development projects.
Originally intended to run until December, the DA is set to update its plan after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered to sustain the program through the end of his term in 2028.

The ₱20 rice was one of the key promises of Marcos during the campaign for the 2022 elections that granted him the country’s top seat.