The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday said it will extend P3 billion worth of cash assistance to 600,000 rice farmers as part of government’s intervention program to help them cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DA said the cash subsidy program dubbed as the Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers (FSRF) is part of its initiatives to assist small rice farmers, who are planting 1 hectare, or less, in 24 provinces not covered by the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.
The P3-billion FSRF fund is earmarked under the 2020 General Appropriations Act, the DA added. “Our rice farmers will receive it as a direct cash transfer that they can use to buy either farm inputs, food for their families, or anything they need,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.
“The FSRF is another intervention to further support our farmers who are experiencing the effects of the quarantine measures due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Dar added.
“We vow to continue helping our small rice farmers, by implementing not only the FSRF and RFFA, but also other major programs such as the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund [RCEF], the SURE Aid loan assistance program, and continuous palay-buying through the National Food Authority—to boost farmers’ productivity and incomes,” Dar said.
Tobacco farmers’ subsidy
IN a related development, The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) said it will provide at least P12-million cash assistance to over 6,000 farmers to help planters cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a recent news statement, NTA said it has approved the grant of emergency cash assistance (ECA) to tobacco farmers under the tobacco contract growing system (TCGS) for crop year 2019-2020.
The NTA said its governing board adopted Referendum Resolution 002-2020 on March 24 that authorized the direct cash assistance of P2,000 to every eligible farmer.
NTA Officer in Charge Roberto R. Bonoan said the amount could still increase pending approval of the NTA governing board and availability of funds. The NTA is an attached government-owned and -controlled corporation of the DA.
“We have to help our farmers during the national emergency and we have also proposed to the members of the Governing Board to include non-TCGS farmers in the cash assistance,” Bonoan said.
Image credits: Laila Austria