The Department of Agriculture (DA) has tripled the monthly rice allocation for vulnerable sectors benefiting from the Marcos administration’s “P29” program.

The new policy allows the sectors to purchase up to 30 kilos of rice each month, a three-fold increase from the previous limit, according to a news release Sunday.

The vulnerable sectors, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents and indigents, make up several million covered by the program. The rice sold under this initiative is sourced from the National Food Authority buffer stocks.

During the “Trabaho at Serbisyong Pangkalusugan sa Bagong Pilipinas” job and healthcare fair in Dasmariñas, Cavite Friday, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced that the new policy would be implemented nationwide immediately. The P29 rice is available at Kadiwa ng Pangulo stores and centers.

“We urge you to take advantage of this new policy, which responds to the calls from our financially challenged fellow citizens for greater access to more affordable food, especially rice,” he said.

Rice accounts for roughly PHP9 of every PHP100 spent by the average Filipino consumer. This amount increases to over PHP18 per PHP100 for households with the lowest incomes, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The DA launched the P29 program in July last year to provide affordable rice options for vulnerable sectors.

It further widened Filipinos’ options with the introduction last year of the Rice-for-All (RFA) program, which allows all consumers to buy unlimited amounts of rice at reduced prices.

The current prices under the RFA are as follows: PHP43 per kilo with 5 percent broken grains, PHP35 per kilo with 25 percent broken grains and PHP33 per kilo for 100 percent broken grains. (PNA)