MANILA, Philippines — After its initial rollout in parts of the Visayas, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will begin offering rice at P20 per kilo in Kadiwa stores across the country starting May 2, 2025.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. announced Monday that the P20 Rice Project will be officially launched through the KADIWA ng Pangulo program. Under the initiative, high-quality rice will be sold at a subsidized rate exclusively to indigents, senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities. Beneficiaries can buy up to 30 kilos of rice per month from Kadiwa centers.

The rice, to be procured by the Food Terminal Inc. from the National Food Authority (NFA), marks a significant step in fulfilling the administration’s goal of making affordable rice accessible to more Filipino families.

“For the pilot run, participating local government units (LGUs) sharing in the subsidy can extend the P20-per-kilo rice to all households in their communities, regardless of their vulnerability status,” Tiu Laurel said.

The move builds on the “Bente Bigas Mo” program, first introduced in select Visayas areas and ten LGUs—including San Juan City in Metro Manila, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, Camarines Sur, and Mati City in Davao Oriental—where NFA rice was initially sold at P33 per kilo amid a national food security emergency.

The DA earlier secured clearance from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proceed with the nationwide sale despite the election period, ensuring that the rice distribution remains uninterrupted.

According to NFA Administrator Larry Lacson, the agency now holds a five-year high in buffer stock, equivalent to 7.56 million bags of rice—enough to meet the country’s needs for 10 days. He added that roughly 2.9 million sacks of palay were acquired this year alone.

“My directive to our teams on the ground is to purchase as much palay as possible, at P18 to P24 per kilo, to help boost farmers’ incomes,” Lacson said.

Tiu Laurel revealed that the idea of launching the P20 rice project had been in the pipeline since June 2024 but was initially shelved due to soaring global grain prices and limited local stock. Now, with world market prices stabilizing at around USD 300 per metric ton—down from over USD 700—and NFA inventories robust, he said the timing was finally right.

He stressed that the P20 rice initiative aims not only to ease the financial burden on Filipino consumers but also to ensure fair compensation for rice farmers.

Moreover, the agriculture chief said the DA is committed to gradually refining the program to reduce its reliance on government subsidies and redirect future savings toward broader agricultural development projects.

Originally slated to run until December 2025, the program’s duration has been extended following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to expand and sustain the initiative until the end of his term in 2028.