THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday said it is partnering with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in further expanding the government’s P20-per-kilogram rice program across the National Capital Region.
The program, also known as Benteng Bigas Meron Na (BBM Na!), is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s electoral campaign promise to bring down the price of rice at P20/kg for vulnerable sectors and temper the effects of food inflation.
It aims to reach 15 million households or 60 million individuals through by the end of this year.
A technical working group will meet with representatives of Metro Manila’s local government units (LGUs) to accelerate and streamline the program’s expanded rollout, the DA said.
“Our goal is simple: bring affordable rice closer to our constituents and ensure vulnerable sectors are directly served,“ Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said, noting that the DA hopes to establish at least five Benteng Bigas outlets in every LGU in Metro Manila.
“This is a shared responsibility. Affordable rice must reach as many Metro Manila families as possible,” MMDA chairman Romando Artes said, pledging logistical and monitoring support.
The program — which has likewise been expanding in other regions including those in the Visayas and Mindanao — will also make space for fresh rice stocks in National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses while addressing temporary gaps in supply due to delayed arrival of imports.
More palay (unhusked rice) is seen to enter the market since March is the start of the peak harvest season in rice-producing provinces.
The DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), which oversees the program, plans to have a full-scale expansion by the end of March.
DA-AMAS director Junibert de Sagun asked LGUs to work on documentation and compliance “to ensure efficient distribution and sustained supply.”
The program prioritizes senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, minimum wage earners, members of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (TODAs), farmers, and fisherfolk, among other qualified groups.
Tonner bag system
Meanwhile, NFA administrator Larry Lacson told reporters that the tonner bag system will be used in all NFA outlets nationwide.
The system uses one-ton capacity bags for storing rice stocks to maximize space in NFA warehouses.
It was pilot tested in three of NFA’s 45 warehouses across the country. It was successful, Lacson said, noting they “saved on space, labor, and time.“
The use of airtight containers in tonner bags also helps protect grain quality against moisture, heat, insects, and rodents, Lacson added.
The NFA will also procure a gantry system for its first three branches where the tonner bag system was implemented, Lacson said, noting that the agency is doing a market survey on prices.
The gantry system is an automated lifting and transport mechanism used to handle 1-tonner palay bags. It is a central component of the NFA’s modernization program aimed at shifting from traditional manual labor to mechanized warehouse operations.
Funding for initiatives will come from NFA rice auctions and sales from other government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
For this year, Lacson said the NFA — a government-owned and controlled corporation attached to the DA — is allotted a budget of P9 billion for palay procurement, P2.1 billion for palay processing and prepositioning, P80 million for warehouses, and P35 million for palay dryers.
It is tasked to ensure national food security by maintaining sufficient rice buffer stocks.
