Around 40,000 rice farmers across Western Visayas will benefit from the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program this year.
Qualified beneficiaries are farmers tilling two hectares or less. Each is eligible to receive 10,000 to help them with their needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to DA Secretary William Dar, the farmer-beneficiaries can now withdraw the first P5,000 through the Landbank of the Philippines.
“The Landbank of the Philippines will be able to give that out over the counter,” he said.
The remaining P5,000 will be distributed to the beneficiaries next month until May.
“The small farmers will always be the major focus ng ating farm policies, programs and projects. Sila ang unang nakakatanggap ng ayuda kagaya ng RFFA,” said Dar.
This is the third year that the DA is giving out cash subsidy to affected farmers.
Dar said the department gave out a total of P7.6 billion worth of assistance in 2021 and another P8.9 billion this year.
Aside from this, DA is also implementing the Fuel Discount for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program, as provided under the Special Provision No. 20 of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 or Republic Act (RA) 11639.
Dar said they are targeting 349,000 corn farmer and fisherfolks in the country. They allotted P500 million for first tranche and P600 million for the second tranche.IMT
