The Negros Occidental provincial government will begin selling rice at the subsidized price of P20 per kilo starting this week, with the initial rollout set in Pulupandan town.
Governor Eugenio Jose Bong Lacson announced yesterday that an initial batch of 50 sacks will be available for sale by the upcoming weekend.
Lacson clarified that the rice supply will be directly sourced from local farmers through the Federation of Irrigators’ Association of Central Negros-Bago River Irrigation System (FIACN-BRIS), ensuring support for local agriculture.
He also assured readiness to purchase rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) to sustain the P20 per kilo rice program once supplies become available, with a P7 million budget set aside for this purpose.
The provincial government is allocating more than P3 million to subsidize the operational expenses of FIACN-BRIS for this program.
This initiative is separate from the NFA’s rice supply, from which the provincial government has yet to receive official communication regarding available stocks.
The NFA has prioritized the Bacolod City government, which launched its P20 per kilo rice program on June 5.
Following the Pulupandan launch, the program will expand to other local government units in Negros Occidental through a “rolling store” system.
Previously, the provincial government and FIACN-BRIS had partnered to sell rice at P25 per kilo at the Food Terminal Market of Occidental Negros, and this new program continues that project but at a lower price point.
The provincial government aims to make affordable, good-quality rice accessible to indigent families, aligning with the broader national initiative led by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to maintain the P20 per kilo rice price until 2028.
The P20 per kilo rice program targets indigent sectors, such as persons with disabilities, beneficiaries of the social welfare program, senior citizens, and similar groups.
Each family will be allowed to buy a maximum of 10 kilos of rice per week or a total of 40 kilos every month.
The program is currently being piloted in the Visayas cluster, with a target implementation period until 2028, though this is still subject to evaluation and possible adjustments based on results.
The scale of the program is massive, as Negros Occidental alone consumes about 1,386,600 bags of rice every two months.
In May, the DA said it aims to expand the P20 per kilo rice program to low- and low-middle-income families, targeting around 60 million Filipino beneficiaries or 15 million households nationwide.
The program’s first phase intends to cover areas in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental; Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Southern Leyte, Leyte, Bohol, Antique, Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Biliran, Guimaras, Siquijor, Aklan, and Mindoro./JB, WDJ