00:01The Department of Agriculture says the government would need 18 billion pesos to sustain its 20 pesos per kilo rice program in 2026.
00:09DA spokesman Arnel De Mesa says the subsidy for this year is 5 billion pesos.
00:14The requested amount for next year is 18 billion pesos, but De Mesa says it appears only around 10 billion of that will be granted.
00:21He adds, the subsidy will go to the state-run Food Terminal Incorporated, which handles the sale of rice from the National Food Authority.
00:28NFA stocks sold at 20 pesos per kilo are currently being distributed through Kadiwa stores for vulnerable groups.
00:36The government has also included some 120,000 minimum wage earners in the program.
00:41President Marcos has said he intends to maintain the program until his term ends in 2028.
00:46The DA plans to expand it to places with high poverty levels.
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