PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday, July 28, 2025, that the P20 per kilo rice program is set to expand in all parts of the country.
During his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona), Marcos said over the past months, the government has already proved that lowering the price of rice to P20 per kilo is possible without the need for farmers to suffer.
At present, the P20 per kilo rice is available in several Kadiwas ng Pangulo Centers in Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Cavite, Occidental Mindoro, Cebu, Bacolod, Guimaras, Siquijor and Davao del Sur but only limited to the vulnerable individuals, such as senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, and members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
The government, through the Department of Agriculture (DA), aims to make P20 per kilo rice accessible to all the minimum wage earners across the country.
Marcos said the National Government will be allotting P13 billion in order for the DA to strengthen the program.
“Binabalaan ko ang mga trader na magtatangkang mag-manipula ng presyo ng palay at bigas, o manloloko ng mga magsasaka. Hahabulin namin kayo, dahil ang ginagawa ninyo ay economic sabotage,” he said.
(I am warning traders who attempt to manipulate the price of palay and rice, or deceive our farmers. We will go after you, because what you are doing is economic sabotage.)
Part of Marcos’ campaign promises aside from lowering the price of rice to P20 per kilo is to improve the country’s supply chain in a bid to achieve food self-sufficiency.
Marcos said the government will continue to provide solutions to lower the price of meat and other agricultural products, such as corn, banana, pineapple, mangoes, coffee, cacao, calamansi, sugarcane, onions and garlic.
“Mula nagsimula itong administrasyon, mahigit walo at kalahating milyong magsasaka at mangingisda ang nakatanggap ng tulong. Lalo pa natin paiigtingin ang mga programa ng pamahalaan para mas marami pa ang matutulungan. Libo-libong kilometro ng farm-to-market road na ang ginawa na, at libo-libong kilometro pa ang pinapasinayaan. Libo-libong ektarya ng lupa ay nalagyan na ng patubig sa buong bansa. At libo-libong ektarya pa ang patutubigan,” he said.
(Since the start of this administration, more than eight and a half million farmers and fisherfolk have received assistance. We will further strengthen government programs to help even more. Thousands of kilometers of farm-to-market roads have already been built, and thousands more are being inaugurated. Thousands of hectares of land across the country have been irrigated, and thousands more will be provided with irrigation.)
“Libo-libo ring makinarya at pasilidad ang ating binuksan at pinamigay para sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda. Marami po tayong ipapatayo na Rice Processing System. Itong mga pasilidad at mga bangkang yari sa fiberglass na ipapamigay naman sa mga mangingisda. Lahat ng ito ay sumusuporta sa kanila mula paghahanda, sa pagpunla, pag-ani, pagbiyahe, hanggang sa pagbenta,” he added.
(We have also distributed and inaugurated thousands of machines and facilities for our farmers and fisherfolk. We will build more Rice Processing Systems. These facilities, along with fiberglass boats, will be given to our fisherfolk. All of these efforts support them from preparation, planting, harvesting, transport, and all the way to selling.)
The President also called on the Congress to amend the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act to make it more responsive to the needs of farmers and boost exports of the commodity.
“Mula ngayong taon, hindi bababa sa labing-limang milyong hybrid at mataas na klaseng mga binhi ng niyog ang ating itatanim sa iba’t-ibang panig ng Pilipinas. At itutuloy natin ito hanggang isandaang milyong puno na ng niyog ang ating maitatanim sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.
(Starting this year, no less than 15 million hybrid and high-quality coconut seedlings will be planted across various parts of the Philippines. And we will continue this effort until we have planted a total of 100 million coconut trees throughout the country.)
Marcos also vowed to provide the youth with courses, programs and scholarships related to agriculture in order for them to continue the country’s farming industry. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)