Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the P20 per kilo of rice will available by July 2025 in the Mindanao region

According to Tiu Laurel, the second phase of the government’s program, will be based on poverty rating incidence. So, number one sa Phase Two natin in July will be Zamboanga del Norte which has a 37.7% of poverty incidence – iyan ang isa sa mga pinakamataas; pangalawa, Basilan; Cotabato City; Tawi-Tawi; Maguindanao del Sur; Maguindanao; Davao Oriental; Sorsogon; Maguindanao del Norte – iyan ho ang Phase Two.

The third phase will be in September in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Catanduanes, Agusan del Sur, Sarangani, and Dinagat Island, according to the Agriculture chief.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) initially implemented the sale of rice at P20 per kilo in the Visayas region. According to the DA, President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wants it to be implemented across the country in the long run.

Tiu Laurel guaranteed that the government’s P20-per-kilo rice meets high quality standards.

He recently met with regional managers and key officials of the National Food Authority to ensure this goal, pointing out that the subsidized rice program is an opportunity to remove the stigma that NFA rice is of “poor quality.”

The DA earlier said the NFA is currently increasing its fleet of trucks and expanding storage and drying capacity to purchase more rice from local farmers, especially in hard-to-reach areas.