The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that rice priced at ₱20 per kilo is now available in several National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses in Central Luzon.
This, following the simultaneous launching of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! Para sa Magsasaka."
The program seeks to make affordable rice accessible to farmers and their families while boosting national food security, according to the DA.
The initiative was rolled out in seven locations across the region: Balagtas Warehouse 3 in Borol 1st, Balagtas, Bulacan; Sta. Rita Warehouse 2 in Sta. Rita, San Miguel, Bulacan; Cabanatuan Warehouse 1 along Maharlika Highway in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; F.K. Ilagan Street in Barangay Tulay na Bato, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija; Sindalan Warehouse 1 along McArthur Highway in San Fernando, Pampanga; Aguso Warehouse 2 in Barangay Aguso, Tarlac City, Tarlac; and Barangay San Isidro in La Paz, Tarlac.
Initially, the subsidized rice initiative was limited to senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and 4Ps beneficiaries, before it was later extended to minimum wage earners.
Under the expanded coverage, palay farmers and farmworkers registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) who own or cultivate land of two hectares or less mat now avail of the program.
Each qualified beneficiary may buy up to 10 kilos of rice per month or a 50-kilo sack as their total allocation from August to December 2025.