ILOILO City – Following its Iloilo-Guimaras Irrigation Management Office’s (IMO) initiation, other National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region 6 IMOs will commence selling “Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka Rice” (BBM Rice) for P29 per kilogram to the marginalized sector starting the first week of November 2024.
This covers the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Aklan, and Negros Occidental, announced Engr. Jonel Borres, acting regional manager of NIA-6.
The Iloilo-Guimaras IMO pioneered this initiative by beginning sales last week at the KADIWA Store located at the NIA Region 6 office in Barangay Tacas, Jaro district.
The sale is specifically aimed at senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and solo parents.
The BBM Rice at the Iloilo-Guimaras IMO is available every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a limit of 1,000 bags each selling day.
Borres said the marginalized sector can purchase the rice directly from the KADIWA Store located within each IMO’s office, provided they present a valid government identification card.
Under the BBM Rice program, eligible buyers can acquire a 10-kilogram bag of rice for P290, which translates to P29 per kilogram.
This initiative is part of the contract farming program of NIA-6, which covers only 1,200 hectares this year, offering farmers PHP 50,000 worth of assistance per crop season. This aid includes farm inputs, cash, and technical assistance to support them from planting to harvest.
Farmers are required to produce at least five metric tons of rice per hectare, which is then procured by NIA-6 to be sold at the subsidized rate.
Borres expressed hope that the program’s coverage would expand to 2,000 hectares in 2025, eventually broadening the beneficiary base beyond just the vulnerable sectors to the general public./PN
