The Department of Agriculture has expanded the rollout of the “Benteng Bigas Meron Na!” rice program in Aklan, allowing affordable and accessible rice to reach vulnerable Filipino families.
Introduced in 2025, the expanded implementation follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to shield consumers from rising food prices while strengthening food and nutrition security nationwide.
The program is expected to benefit up to 85,000 individuals in Aklan, including minimum wage earners, farmers and fisherfolk, senior citizens, solo parents, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, persons with disabilities and transport sector workers.
“When consumers can buy affordable rice and farmers have a stable market for their palay, that is when the system works,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
The DA chief said the P20 rice program supports the entire rice value chain by releasing affordable rice and drawing down buffer stocks in National Food Authority warehouses. The move is expected to help stabilize rice prices while ensuring farmers have a reliable market for their produce.
Alongside the expanded rice program, the DA rolled out a package of agricultural interventions worth about P75 million to boost productivity and livelihoods in Aklan.
The assistance included four-wheel drive tractors, rice combine harvesters, farm inputs, certified seeds and fertilizers, crop insurance indemnity checks, composting facilities, hybrid solar renewable energy systems for multiplier farms, trading capital for KADIWA outlets and 20-foot fiberglass fishing boats for fisherfolk.
Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Agribusiness, Marketing and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra emphasized the importance of close coordination with local governments to sustain the program.
“Our goal is to institutionalize this program so that the delivery of affordable rice to the public is continuous and systematic, while ensuring that our farmers receive fair and equitable benefits,” she said.
