THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said that it had expanded the P20-per-kilogram rice initiative, or Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! (BBM Na!) program, to Lingayen, Pangasinan.
The BBM Na! program aims to provide affordable rice for senior citizens, indigents, persons with disabilities, solo parents, farmers, fisherfolk and minimum wage earners — groups that are particularly affected by price increases.
"The Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! is more than a slogan; it is the fulfillment of a campaign pledge and the realization of President Marcos’ vision that no Filipino should go hungry and that farmers deserve to fully enjoy the fruits of their hard work,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.
Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said that with the nationwide expansion of the program, "the DA is institutionalizing food security by ensuring affordable rice for vulnerable Filipinos, while empowering the NFA to procure more palay from farmers at fair and sustainable prices.”
The DA said the subsidized rice program was expected to benefit 15 million households or 60 million individuals, across the country by the end of this year.
In Pangasinan alone, the agency’s target is around 177,000 families or 708,000 individuals.
The DA also plans to expand the program to Nueva Ecija, Bohol, Zamboanga City, and Davao City before the end of January.
These locations were selected due to the large volume of rice production output or strong consumer demand.
The BBM Na! program was said to have been designed to protect consumers from volatile food prices and free up storage space in the National Food Authority's (NFA) warehouses, allowing it to buy more palay (unmilled rice) from local farmers.
Funding for the BBM Na! program's expansion is at P14 billion, including P4 billion carried over from the previous year.
For the initial rollout, the NFA said it had 2.2 million 50-kilogram bags of freshly milled rice as well as 700,000 bags of older stocks.
At 451,886 metric tons or over 9.04 million bags, the current rice stock inventory is enough to cover almost 12 days' worth of national consumption.