Cebu Provincial Government to Offer Subsidized Rice to Indigent Residents

Cebu, Philippines — The provincial government is set to allocate PHP100 million for the purchase of National Food Authority (NFA) rice, which will be sold to indigent constituents at PHP20 per kg.

According to a news release by Philippines News Agency, the initiative, named the Sugbo Merkadong Barato project, will allow residents to purchase cheap commodities, including rice. The amount will be equally distributed among the province’s 51 LGUs, which will facilitate the sales to consumers identified as indigent by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Another PHP100 million is slated to subsidize commercial rice for the general public. The initiative is expected to absorb at least a 10 percent loss on the rice sales.