P18B needed to subsidize P20/kilo rice program in 2026

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But DA spokesman Arnel de Mesa says it looks like only P10 billion will be allotted for the P20/kilo rice program in 2026

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government would need P18 billion to sustain its P20/kilo rice program in 2026, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“Para sa subsidy ngayong taon is P5 billion. Ang ni-re-request next year is P18 billion,” DA spokesman Arnel de Mesa told reporters on Wednesday, June 4. (For the subsidy this year, it’s P5 billion. The amount requested next year is P18 billion.)

“Pero parang P10 billion ang ibibigay,” De Mesa added. (But it looks like P10 billion will be given.)

The spokesman said the subsidy would be given to the Food Terminal Incorporated, the government-owned and -controlled corporation managing the sale of the National Food Authority’s rice stocks.

NFA stocks sold at P20 per kilo in fulfillment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s election promise are currently being distributed through Kadiwa stores for vulnerable groups. The DA has since expanded the program to identified minimum wage earners.

Marcos intends to sustain this program until the end of his term in 2028. Beyond minimum wage earners, the DA has mentioned expanding the program to areas with high poverty incidence.

Aside from the President’s election promise, one other purpose of the program is the need for government to offload rice stocks due to overwhelmed storage capacity of warehouses. According to a DA statement released June 3, the NFA is currently storing at least eight million sacks of rice.

The government has sold 94.87 metric tons of rice under the P20/kilo rice program from May 13 to 23, incurring P1.9 million in sales. – Rappler.com