THE Philippine government has started selling P29 per kilogram rice in Kadiwa sites in some National Irrigation Administration offices, NIA administrator Eduardo Guillen said yesterday.
“Ngayong araw ang simula ng Kadiwa center sa NIA… Makabibili ng P29/kilo na bigas ang senior citizen, miyembro ng 4Ps. After ng launching next week mabibili na rin ito sa mga Kadiwa centers,” he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.
Guillen said the government is partnering with irrigators association as well as use of 1.3 million hectares of NIA to ensure the sustainability of the project.
“Economies of scale production lang. Kung gusto nating pababain ang presyo ng isang produkto gaya ng bigas, kailangan may economies of scale production ka. Ang problema lang natin, mababa ang production so i-increase natin ‘yung cropping intensity… at saka ‘yung yield,” he said.
Guillen also said this is made possible through contract farming, a program that allows farmers to reduce the average production cost to less than P15 per kilogram and subsequently sell rice at P29 per kilogram.
The program covered around 40,000 hectares of farm lands, producing 100 million kilos or around 10 million packs of rice.
“Sa NIA, bagong ani ang bigas, masarap na klaseng bigas ito,” Guillen said.
The high price of rice poses a big challenge to the government, and surveys showed controlling inflation remains the biggest concern of Filipinos.
The Department of Agriculture earlier said the sale of P29/kilo rice is eyed to be a long-term program lasting until the end of the Marcos administration.
“Next week, itu-turnover na po namin iyong aming mga na-produce sa DA para doon sa Kadiwa ng ating Pangulo,” Guillen said in a public briefing.
NIA eyes to expand the program in coordination with the Department of Agriculture.
“Mayroong 1.3 million [hectares of] irrigated lands eh, so kung maigawa po natin ito sa buong bansa, ay malaking tulong po ito sa ating farmers at sa ating food security,” he added.
“Ito naman ay pagtugon sa panawagan ng ating Pangulo na magtulungan tayo, magbayanihan. Nakikisama kami sa panawagan ng Pangulo. Kung pinagsama-sama natin ang resources ng national government agencies, mas marami tayo na matutulungan na mga kababayan,” he also said. (ABS-CBN News)
