GUIMBA, Nueva Ecija—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, September 13, launched a Department of Agriculture program aimed at assisting rice farmer-members of agricultural cooperatives across 1.2 million hectares nationwide. The program targets increasing their productivity and income by providing low-cost credit, financial assistance, and a ready market for their harvests. For the dry cropping season (2024-2025), it aims to offer credit facilities to 50,000 hectares of rice farmers and cooperatives, starting with established cooperatives under the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS), Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS), and NIA systems serving the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

During the launch of the Agri-Puhunan at Pantawid (APP) program, President Marcos informed around 5,000 farmers gathered in this rapidly developing agricultural town of Guimba, Nueva Ecija that the DA and DBP have secured the initial PHP 3.0 billion funding to provide a combination of low-interest loans and subsistence allowances for farmers.

GUIMBA, Nueva Ecija—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, September 13, launched a Department of Agriculture program aimed at assisting rice farmer-members of agricultural cooperatives across 1.2 million hectares nationwide. The program targets increasing their productivity and income by providing low-cost credit, financial assistance, and a ready market for their harvests. For the dry cropping season (2024-2025), it aims to offer credit facilities to 50,000 hectares of rice farmers and cooperatives, starting with established cooperatives under the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS), Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS), and NIA systems serving the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). ### (Photos by Jay Morales, DA-OSEC)