Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said a P20 per kilogram subsidized rice program has been launched in Davao City.
In a statement, Mr Laurel said the government's flagship food-security program combines social protection for consumers from vulnerable sections of society with support for producers.
Speaking at the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) complex in Bago Oshiro, Mr. Laurel said the subsidized rice supports senior citizens, single parents, persons with disabilities, minimum wage earners, farmers, fishermen and transportation workers.
The subsidized rice program is now available at more than 376 sites in partnership with local government units, national agencies, and private sector groups.
In the Davao Region, P20 rice is now sold in Hagonoy, Digos, Bansalan, Mati, Panabo, Tagum and major NFA and DA offices.
The program releases inventory from National Food Authority warehouses and frees up space for the grain agency to purchase the domestic rice crop at prices far above those offered by private traders.
NFA buys clean and dry palay (unmilled rice) at P23-30 per kilo depending on the grade and location of the grain, while prices as low as single digits are offered from rice traders.
