Affordable rice
LIKE other Filipinos, we believe that the government is in a position to protect the interests of consumers during the three-month “lean season.”
In poverty-stricken Philippines, the so-called “lean season” starts in July and ends in September, while the harvest season begins in October.
That’s why we commend the Department of Agriculture (DA) for making sure that the poorest of the poor have access to affordable but quality rice.
Starting yesterday (July 5), the DA, through the Kadiwa stores, is offering rice at P29 a kilo in Metropolitan Manila (MM) and Bulacan.
The discounted rice will be sold to “vulnerable segments of the population, particularly the elderly, single parents and persons with disability (PWDs).
Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the conditional cash transfer scheme for the poor, may also buy the cheap grain.
Initially, the program will be conducted every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the next six months, according to the DA.
A consumer may buy only up to 10 kilos of rice per household a month.
DA estimates showed that the program requires some 69,000 metric tons of rice during the six-month trial period.
Of course, the people, particularly the unfortunate members of Philippine society, expect the government to come up with more pro-poor programs.
