Rice for only ₱40 per kilo can be purchased at two LRT and MRT stations beginning this week, announced the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“Ito pong darating na linggo ay maglulunsad na rin tayo—pag hindi po Tuesday o Wednesday, ay magkakaroon na rin tayo ng Rice For All sa mga piling istasyon din po ng LRT at MRT,” said Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa in an exclusive interview on DZRH’s Special on Saturday.
(This coming week, we’re going to launch—either on Tuesday or Wednesday, we will also have Rice For All at select LRT and MRT stations.)
The Kadiwa ng Pangulo kiosks will be erected at the LRT-1 Monumento Station and the MRT-3 North Avenue Station, implied to be the first of more to come. This initiative is a part of the Rice For All program, which aims to simplify access to affordable rice, especially with the typical surge in prices during the holiday season.
Rice watch group Bantay Bigas however, doubts any of the government’s programs will be able to truly drive down the cost of rice in the long term. The group’s spokesperson, Cathy Estavillo, said maintaining rice prices at ₱40 per kilo seemed unlikely, and stressed that rice in regular markets will not sell for Kadiwa prices, as retail prices have not decreased.
“Gaano ‘yung ka-sustained ‘yan, given na wala naman stock ang DA na malaki para talagang ma-saturate niya yung mga palengke, kung saan doon mismo namimili,” she told DZRH.
(How sustainable is that, given the DA doesn’t have a big enough stock to saturate the markets, where people shop.)
