Cebu Capitol to Introduce P40-P41 Commercial Rice Alongside P20 NFA Rice

After announcing the sale of P20 per kilo of NFA rice exclusively for poor families beginning November 28, Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia has revealed that P40 to P41 per kilo of commercial rice will also be sold to Cebuanos regardless of income status.

Garcia said that she already got a supplier for commercial rice but could not yet say whether the sacks of rice will arrive by November 28 when she will launch the NFA rice at P20 per kilo via the Sugbo Merkadong Barato (SMB) pop-up stores.

“We have now been able to source I just cannot answer you when will it arrive but I really hope that it will arrive on time for the launch on November 28,” Garcia said.

“Initially what I can tell is, we will be able to sell per kilo of this commercial rice at around P40 or P41 per kilo which is still way below the present price of P50 or even more.”

Commercial rice will be sold to all Cebu Province residents. They will have to show their valid IDs and will be allowed to purchase up to 10 kilograms per week per family.

The SMB pop-up stores will be opened Mondays to Fridays in specific local government centers across the 50 towns and cities of Cebu Province.

Garcia said that the first tranche of funding from the Capitol on commercial rice sales will be P100 million as a form of subsidy to bring the price down as compared to the regular markets.

The NFA rice sale was also allocated P100 million by the Provincial government.

“We will do this, commercial rice maybe P40 or P41, the NFA at P20 pesos per kilo alongside vegetables and other goods that our farmers and micro-entrepreneurs supported by the Department of Agriculture, the DOLE, and DTI and they will be selling very affordable goods,” said Garcia.

The governor said that the cheaper rice program of the provincial government will continue in 2024. In fact, it has already allocated funding in the proposed annual budget next year.

Garcia said that she has already thought of a possible plan where the Province will be able to make up for the loss by subsidizing the sale of NFA and commercial rice.

She will make further announcements soon on how to make the program sustainable, she said.

“I appeal to the NFA to support us here because this is really being able to help those that really need help. We are the first province to achieve the P20 per kilo of rice,” Garcia adds.

In regular markets, commercial rice costs between P50 to P60 per kilo. (ZAG)