DA expands rollout of P20 ‘Benteng Bigas Meron Na!” Rice Program in Aklan

KALIBO, Aklan- The Department of Agriculture (DA) under the leadership of  Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr ., officially expanded the rollout of the P20 Benteng Bigas Meron Na!”  Rice Program ub the Province of Aklan, reinforcing the national government’s commitment to ensuring affordable sufficient and quality  rice fir Filipinos.

Agriculture chief Tiu Laurel emphasized that the expansion of the P20 Rice Program is fully aligned with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to protect consumers from rising food costs while ensuring food and nutrition security across the country. With the expanded implementation. a total of 85,000 beneficiaries are expected to benefit from the program in Aklan, covering minimum wage earners, farmers and fisher folks, senior citizens, solo parents, members of 4P’s, persons with disabilities, members of transport sector.

“The continued expansion of the ‘Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” Program, is a concrete, expression of this administraiton’s resolve to make rice affordable and accessible to every Filipino family,” Secretary  Tiu Laurel said, ” At the same time, we ensure that the program benefits not only consumers but also farmers, from farm to the table.”

The DA Secretary underscored that the program is strategically designed to support the extra rice value chain,  By reducing stocks of palay in the NFA warehouses through the sale of affordable rice, the NFA is better positioned to procure more palay from local farmers at fair and just prices, especially as the harvest season approaches. This mechanism helps stabilize prices while guaranteeing farmers a reliable market for their produce.

Alongside the expanded P20 Rice Program. the DA also rolled out a comprehensive package of agricultural interventions aimed at strengthening the livelihood of farmers and fisher folks in Aklan.the DA distributed approximately Php 75 million worth of support, including four-wheel drive tractors, rice combine harvesters, farm inputs, certified seeds and fertilizers, crop insurance indemnity checks, composting facilities, hybrid solar renewable energy systems for multipliers farms, trading capital for KADIWA outlets and 20-footer fiberglass fishing boats.

Assistant Secretary doe Legislative Affairs, Agribusiness, Marketing and Consumer Affairs Genevieve E, Velcaria-Guevarra highlighted the importance of sustaining and institutionalizing the program through strong partnerships with Provincial Local Government Units.

In Aklan, the P20 Rice Program was first launched last year and successfully benefited more than 22,000 households through close coordination between DA-FTI and the Provincial Government. With the expanded roll out, the program is expected to reach more communities across the province.