ILOILO City – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Western Visayas has distributed over a million kilograms of affordable rice through its flagship program since its launch in September 2024, providing much-needed relief to communities struggling with rising prices.
As of the latest reports, NIA Region 6 has sold approximately 1.24 million kilograms of rice, with 604,356.26 kilograms of the “Rice for All” variety priced at P35 per kilogram, and 63,899.30 bags (10kg per bag) of “Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka” (BBM) rice available for P29 per kilogram.
“Our P29 per kilo rice is intended for 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) members, solo parents, PWDs (persons with disability), and senior citizens. We also have P35 per kilo, that’s for everybody,” said NIA-6 public relations officer Danielle Pijuan.
While the rice is mainly sold at Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets, the program also involves local government units (LGUs) following a schedule set by irrigation management offices. NIA-6 had initially prepared 668,605.04 kilograms of “Rice for All” and 67,566.60 bags of BBM rice, though stocks are dwindling with only around 64,248.78 kg of “Rice for All” and 3,667.30 bags of BBM remaining.
The rice program primarily draws from the agency’s contract farming initiative, which supports local farmers by providing cash subsidies and farm inputs worth P50,000 per hectare.
Upon harvest, farmers are required to deliver five metric tons of rice to NIA, with half of the milled rice sold at a reduced price through Kadiwa outlets and the other half sold at market rates.
Currently, the program covers 1,290.39 hectares of rice fields across the region.
“The goal of NIA is to provide the masses with low-cost and affordable rice. What we want to achieve is for our local farmers to provide very affordable rice and eliminate middlemen,” Pijuan emphasized.
As long as the supply lasts, NIA intends to continue offering this more affordable rice option to the public, giving hope to many households facing financial strain due to soaring food prices./PN
