News Details

DA Expands P20 Rice Program to Support Fisherfolk at Major Luzon Fish Ports

NPO

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August 31, 2025

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has expanded the rollout of “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”, the flagship food program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., making ₱20-per-kilo rice available to registered fisherfolk and fishery sector workers at major fish ports in Luzon.

The program was launched Friday at the Navotas Fish Complex in Metro Manila, Sual Fish Port in Pangasinan, and the Lucena Fish Port Complex in Quezon. Eligible beneficiaries listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors of Agriculture (RSBSA) may purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per month at the subsidized price by presenting their RSBSA or FishR IDs, or a valid QR code.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the expansion is part of President Marcos’ directive to reach 15 million households by 2026, with the subsidy program to continue until the end of his term in 2028.

To streamline access, the DA is finalizing a QR code system to monitor purchases, track consumption patterns, and forecast supply requirements.

Initially targeted at solo parents, senior citizens, 4Ps beneficiaries, and persons with disabilities, the program has since expanded to include minimum wage earners, rice farmers, and fisherfolk. Plans are underway to extend benefits further to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Walang Gutom program beneficiaries.

Led by the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service under Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra and implemented through KADIWA ng Pangulo, the P20 rice project sources its stocks from the National Food Authority (NFA) and distributes them via Food Terminal Inc.

“Our goal is clear: provide affordable and quality food to those who feed the nation,” Tiu Laurel stressed. “By subsidizing their rice, we are easing their daily burden while supporting programs that raise their incomes.”

Since its initial rollout in May 2025, the P20 rice program has expanded to 212 sites nationwide, already serving around 500,000 beneficiaries.

NPO News Team I DA-PR