Bugas Bol-anon: P40/kilo

At Sandugo Agr-Fair ‘25

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—When the annual Sandugo Agri Fair never fail to draw out the best products from Bohol’s farms and seas, the P40 per kilo premium Bugas Bol-anon was a stand-out.

While the 28 municipalities and over 20 private exhibitors had their share of avid buyers of fresh, organic or homegrown food from farms and aquaculture or marine fisheries, the Bugas Bol-anon similarly drew large crowds.

Offered at P10 lesser than the regular well milled local rice varieties sold in commercial market stalls or more for the acclaimed organic black rice, Bugas Bol-anon however comes from a source not included in the national government’s subsidies for missing the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), shares Provincial AGriculturiost Liza Quirog.

As the government initiates steps to bring affordable rice to ordinary Filipinos, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) came up with its Contract Farming Program (CFP) for farmers within its irrigation service areas.

“CFP is an initiative to enhance agricultural productivity and improve the lives of farmers, as NIA partners with Irrigator's Associations (IAs) and Farmers' Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) so they can get various support from access to farm inputs in seeds, seedlings, fertilizers and pesticides, modern faming technologies, mechanization and cash assistance,” explains NIA information Officer Zarline Sambas. .

In return, the farmers are assured that 50% of their harvest is bought by NIA to supply the P29/kilo rice in Kadiwa stores and the NIA calamity stock. The other half of the harvest is now for the farmer to decide to keep or sell.

“As the scheme helps farmers reduce production costs to an average of P15 a kilo, it also reduces market risks, explains Sambas.

Aside from NIA, the Department of Agriculture also run similar programs to help productivity and secure their market.

“Enthused by the same scheme, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado in effort to bring down the market prices of rice and make it affordable for Boholanos, he ordered the Palay Buy-Back Program, (PBBP)” Quirog said.

Those covered are the farmers that were not included in the national government’s RSBSA registration, those whose paddies were not included in the national government subsidies.

“If a farmer is not registered in the RSBSA, he can not receive the national government intervention,” Quirog said during a Kapihans a PIA interview.

“For these farmers, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist is channelling local support, as long as the municipal agriculturists can affirm that they cultivate these lands pending their registration,” the provincial agriculturist said.

And while the DA and the Municipal Agriculture Offices continue to update the registry, rice production in these areas have to be boosted too.

With limited supply of farm inputs compared to the vast resources of the national government, Bohol could only afford a little bit of a subsidy, with the agreement that marginal farmers cultivating at least 1,000 square meter (0.1 hectare) of rice land with the intent to register to RSBSA, an active member of the local farmers organization, has to sell 10% of their harvest to the Palay Buy-Back Program, to benefit from the interventions.

“As recipients of the Provincial Government PBBP, which allows them to get DA PhilRice hybrid or registered seeds for optimum harvest, these farmers are obliged to sell 10% of their harvest exclusively to the provincial government,” she adds.

The Provincial Government’s buying price is at P24 per kilo, Quirog added.

The newly harvested rice, clean and thoroughly dried at moisture content of 14% and below, are then kept as buffer stocks for the PBBP which when milled is sold as Bugas Bol-anon.

“We will continue with a larger fund for the PBBP, our strategic approach to ensure fair market value for Boholano rice farmers, assure their inclusive growth and rural development. By ensuring that local farmers receive just compensation for their hard-earned harvests, Bohol moves closer to building a resilient and self-sustaining agricultural economy,” Gov Aumentado said. (PIABohol)

SUPPORT LOCAL, BUY LOCAL. Every buy supports the local farmers, so that Boholanos who have been looking for cheaper rice can actually buy P40/kilo rice, which was displayed during the Sandugo Agri fair 2025. The cheap by premium quality rice continue to be displayed at the Bohol Product showcase center in front of the Bohol Wisdom School or the Capitol lobby. (PIABohol)