DA eyes one-year test run of P29 rice program

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering extending its “Program 29,” which sells a kilo of rice at only P29, to one year to assess the long-term viability, Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Thursday.

“It’s a large-scale trial to determine if we can sell rice at these low levels for an extended period with government subsidy,” Tiu Laurel said.

The agriculture secretary explained that the one-year trial period would allow the DA to gather and evaluate the data “comprehensively” from farm to retail and “determine what needs to be done” to ensure the program’s sustainability.

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