The Philippine government has launched the sale of rice at P29 per kilogram at Kadiwa sites located in some National Irrigation Administration (NIA) offices, according to NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen.
“Today marks the start of Kadiwa centers at NIA. Senior citizens and members of the 4Ps can buy rice at P29 per kilo. After the official launch next week, this will be available in all Kadiwa centers,” Guillen said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.
Guillen explained that the government is partnering with irrigators’ associations and utilizing 1.3 million hectares managed by NIA to ensure the project’s sustainability.
“We need economies of scale production to lower the price of rice. The problem is low production, so we need to increase cropping intensity and yield,” he said. “The rice from NIA is freshly harvested and of high quality.”
The high price of rice remains a significant challenge for the government, with surveys indicating that controlling inflation is the top concern for Filipinos.
The Department of Agriculture has stated that the P29/kilo rice program is intended to be a long-term initiative, lasting until the end of the Marcos administration.