The National Food Authority (NFA) in Eastern Visayas said it is now ready for the regionwide distribution of P20 per kilo rice under the "Benteng Bigas Meron Na" program of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
According to NFA Eastern Visayas Regional Manager May Sara Sabarre, the agency is now waiting for requests from local government units (LGUs) willing to distribute the P20 per kilo rice to poor families.
“I think our local governments are still finalizing schemes on how to allocate the P6.50 subsidy per kilogram of rice,” Sabarre told local media.
Sabarre added they already have discussions with some local governments before the May 12 elections.
The P6.50 represents half of the P13 per kilo subsidy of the government. The other half will be shouldered by the Department of Agriculture through its attached agency, Food Terminal Inc.
Ideally, the NFA rice is sold at P33 per kilogram, but President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. directed government agencies to sell it for P20 under the "Benteng Bigas Meron Na" program.
Under the program, indigent families are eligible to buy a maximum of 10 kilos per week or a total of 40 kilos a month.
Visayas was chosen for the pilot run of the rice program due to its higher-than-average poverty rate, which exceeds the national average of 10.9 percent. In Eastern Visayas, the poverty incidence is at 20.3 percent.
(With report from PNA)
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