THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday it will supply the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with 490,000 sacks of rice for its feeding program and relief operations.
The rice will be provided to the DSWD between June and December, the DA said in a statement.
It said the drawdowns from the National Food Authority (NFA) will allow the grains agency to buy more palay (unmilled rice) from farmers.
“This clears space in our warehouses and allows us to buy more palay at fair prices,” it said.
Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian said his agency requires 35,000 sacks of rice monthly to keep its repacking hubs in Pasay and Cebu operational.
NFA stocks currently exceed 8 million sacks — “pushing storage to near capacity,” the DA said.
The DA recently expanded its P20-per-kilo rice program to include minimum-wage earners as beneficiaries.
The DSWD on Monday said it has integrated the initiative into its food stamp program and was in the process of compiling the list of approved retailers such as Kadiwa outlets and small agricultural cooperatives. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
