P20/kilo rice program rolled out in Siquijor

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has started rolling out the P20-per-kilo rice in Siquijor as it expands the low-cost rice program in critical areas, including in island provinces.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. yesterday described the launch of the subsidized rice program in Siquijor as a “strategic model” for the program’s implementation in island provinces.

Tiu Laurel said the provincial government of Siquijor would help draw the blueprint for the implementation of the program across the archipelago.

“With this initial deployment, the Department of Agriculture hopes to draw crucial insights into logistical and community challenges of delivering subsidized rice in remote and underserved areas,” he said.

Joseph Lo, president of the Food Terminal Inc., said the program’s launch in Siquijor would serve as a testing ground for refining logistics, ensuring orderly distribution and establishment of a real-time feedback system.

Lo said these mechanisms are vital in ensuring the sustainability of the nationwide rollout of the program.

“We are not just delivering rice, we are building the framework to deliver it better,” Lo said.

The DA said approximately 425 households composed of 1,700 people would benefit from the low-cost rice program in Siquijor.

The province is the 88th site to have a Kadiwa center that sells the P20-per-kilo rice.

At present, there are 123 sites selling the subsidized rice, including 88 Kadiwa centers and 35 private companies nationwide.

Earlier, the DA and the Department of Labor and Employment launched the P20-per-kilo rice program for minimum wage earners in their partner private companies.

The low-cost rice is sourced from the National Food Authority.