Four months from its nationally-televised launch in February in Manila, the Department of Agriculture’s Bigasan ng Masa will finally serve the people of Dumaguete on Friday, June 21.
The public can purchase up to 10 kilos of rice at prices lower than the prevailing market price.
The venue for the selling of lower-priced rice will be the Quezon Park. It starts at 8 a.m. and will end when the three tons of rice will be sold out.
Cheryl dela Victoria, DA 7 Information officer, said this was launched due to the public clamor for fresher rice. This, she said, is also a way of helping the farmers from Bohol, where the rice will come from.
However, agriculture officials said this is a palliative solution to the deficiency of Negros Oriental in terms of rice production.
Bernard Limbaga, coordinator of high value crops and corn for the local Department of Agriculture, said Negros Oriental is only has 34 percent sufficient in rice.
In contrast, the province of Bohol is 93 percent sufficient in rice, based on figures from the National Statistics Authority.
