THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will launch in the coming weeks a program to provide affordable rice for all Filipinos.
“On the works na rin po iyong ating ‘Rice-for-All’ naman, kung saan mayroon po tayong papalabas din na bigas po na mas mura kaysa doon sa prevailing nating market prices,” DA Assistant Secretary Genevieve Guevarra said in a news forum on Saturday.
“So, ito po siguro ay ila-launch natin sa susunod na mga linggo. Magre-range po siguro ito sa PhP45 to PhP48,” the DA official said.
The agency has launched on July 5 its PhP29 program that offers PhP29 per kilo of rice for vulnerable sectors including those under the government’s conditional cash transfer program, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and solo parents.
Guevarra noted the agency aims to offer ‘Rice-for-All’ in KADIWA centers first, then eventually in other areas.
“Target po namin muna sa Kadiwa muna ito ibenta pero eventually po iyon nga po kung Rice for All siya puwede po itong maka-penetrate na rin po sa ibang areas,” she said.
During the same briefing, Guevarra said PhP47-per-kilo of rice is currently available to the public at the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) in Taguig City.
“Ito po ay para sa lahat po, hindi po necessarily vulnerable sector. So, kahit sino po puwedeng makabili at wala pong limit although ang sinasabi po natin ngayon ay puwede silang bumili kung mayroon pong 25 kilos na sacks ay puwede po silang bumili ng isang sako,” she said.
