The National Food Authority (NFA) in Eastern Visayas is expecting the delivery of 20,000 bags of rice from neighboring regions to support the implementation of the ₱20-per-kilo rice program starting May 1.
NFA Eastern Visayas Regional Manager May Sara Sabarre said on Tuesday that NFA offices in the Caraga and Bicol regions have committed to transferring 10,000 bags each to supplement rice stocks in the region. The move is in response to a directive from Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to reposition rice to various Visayas areas in preparation for the rollout.
“We already received commitments from Caraga and Bicol during our meeting. As for Region 4, there is no final confirmation yet, as we are still assessing the exact requirements,” Sabarre told the Philippine News Agency.
The rice subsidy initiative was approved following a closed-door meeting on April 23 between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and 12 governors from the Visayas. The program allows indigent families to purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per week, or a total of 40 kilos per month, at ₱20 per kilo.
Eastern Visayas was selected for the pilot phase due to its elevated poverty rate of 20.3 percent—almost double the national average of 10.9 percent.
Sabarre said the incoming rice supplies from other regions will be added to the 165,697 bags currently stored in 19 NFA warehouses across the region’s six provinces. She also reported a significant increase in local procurement, with 210,000 bags of palay acquired so far this year—more than double the region’s annual average of 80,000 bags.
Harvesting for the first cropping is still ongoing, and a second cropping is scheduled later this year. According to Sabarre, the rice to be sold under the subsidy program will be of good quality and was harvested within the last two months.