Over 3,900 kgs sold during first day of “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na “ roll out in Kalinga

Tabuk City, Kalinga—Over 3,900 kilos of rice were sold on the first day of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na” program rollout in Kalinga, according to National Food Authority (NFA) Tabuk Warehouse Supervisor Gay Lynn Sumo. 

Sumo said 95 beneficiaries of the program visited their warehouse this August 13 and bought a total of 3,940 kilos (equivalent to 78 bags and 40 kilos) of the discounted rice. 

The beneficiaries were farmers registered for the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) program of the DA, coming from Tabuk City and Tanudan. 

Sumo earlier reported that only farmers from Tabuk and Rizal would be the first to benefit from the program since the municipality and the city were the first to submit their master lists of RSBSA-registered farmers to the agency. However, those from Tanudan who visited the selling venue were given the chance to avail of the program in advance upon verification that their names are already in the Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI) system and confirmed to be RSBSA-registered. 

The NFA Supervisor added that the agency’s target of 250 bags a day was not reached; hence, those from  farmers from Tanudan were accommodated.

“92 farmers, 78 bags, and 40 kgs… Tabuk and may Tanudan po sir… May RSBSA (ID) naman sila kanina sir, and upon checking nasa system na din ng FTI…and since d pa naman na reach ang target na 250 bags kaya na accomodate sila,” Sumo relayed. 

The Benteng Bigas rollout in Kalinga is scheduled every Monday-Friday until December 2025. Each of the beneficiaries is able to buy up to 10 kilos per month, or a total of 50 kilos. The full 50 kilos, or 1 bag of rice, can be purchased in a single transaction if beneficiaries want to.

In an earlier interview, NFA-Cagayan Assistant Branch Manager Rhoderick Fernandez urged RSBSA-registered farmers in the province to avail the program. Fernandez explained that selling the 20/kilo rice is not only to provide the farmers cheaper rice but also to support the agency in pulling out their existing rice stocks so that buying of palay from farmers will resume.

As of this writing, NFA-Cagayan’s procurement of palay in Kalinga is still on hold as their warehouses in Tabuk and Rizal remain full, with 104,458 and 29,609 bags stored, respectively.