The Department of Agriculture is adding four public markets in Metro Manila where P40 per kilo well-milled rice will be sold under the Rice-for-All program to provide consumers with option amid stubbornly high price of the food staple.

KADIWA ng Pangulo rice kiosks in the four additional markets started offering the P40 a kilo rice on Saturday, December 21.

For P29 rice, new locations were opened at the Kamuning Market in Quezon City, Pasay City Public Market, and New Las Pinas City Market.

This latest rollout follows the recent meeting of Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel with rice traders and importers at the Intercity Industrial Estate in Bulacan. During the meeting, traders expressed their support for the Rice-For-All program and agreed to sell rice through DA’s KADIWA ng Pangulo kiosks within the P40-P45 price range.

More affordable rice are available from Saturday at the following markets:

⁃ Larangay Public Market, Dagat Dagatan, Caloocan City

⁃ Phase 9 Bagong Silang Market, Caloocan City

⁃ Cloverleaf Market, Balintawak, Quezon City

⁃ New Marulas Public Market, Valenzuela City

These kiosks will operate daily from 4:00 AM to 6:00 PM throughout the holiday season, with closures only on December 24-25 and December 30 to January 1, 2025.

“The DA is actively coordinating with market leaders to further expand the Rice-For-All Program, with plans to establish more KADIWA ng Pangulo kiosks across Luzon and eventually nationwide,” said Agriculture Assistant Secretary in charge of the KADIWA program Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra.

Secretary Tiu Laurel emphasized the importance of this initiative, saying that it is part of the government’s commitment to make affordable, high-quality rice accessible to Filipino families. ###