President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday to broaden the scope of the P29 and Rice-for-All (RFA) programs under the Kadiwa ng Pangulo initiative.
To ensure that high prices are effectively addressed, including the rising cost of farm inputs and environmental challenges, the Department of Agriculture (DA) was urged to team up with the Department of Finance (DOF) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
Furthermore, local government units (LGUs) were urged to implement palay-buying schemes to help secure rice inventories for the programs.
Recent observations indicate that the impact of the RFA and P29 Rice programs remains limited, as they reach only a small number of Kadiwa outlets and the targeted vulnerable sectors.
Marcos also proposed using the P29 Program’s Php 5 billion allocation for the RFA to repair and rehabilitate government facilities and warehouses for potential Kadiwa centers.
The National Food Authority (NFA) reported that from January to October 2024, it procured 6,472,299 bags of palay, achieving a 72.65% performance rate against its 2024 target of 8,908,860 bags. This marks the agency's highest procurement in nearly a decade.
Moreover, the agency is set to exceed its palay procurement target for 2024.
The P29 Program sold 704,126 kilograms of rice over a 13-week period at various Kadiwa centers, serving 140,827 households.
Gross sales for farmers' and fisherfolk cooperatives and associations (FCAs) totaled Php 20.42 million.
