The Department of Agriculture (DA) will distribute five thousand pesos (P5,000) cash subsidy to 600,000 rice farmers to help augment their needs amid the enhanced community quarantine.

“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,” said agriculture secretary William D. Dar.

Dubbed as the Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers (FSRF), the P5,000 cash subsidy is part of the DA’s initiatives to assist small rice farmers, who plant one hectare or less, located in 24 provinces not covered under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program. The P3-B FSRF fund is earmarked under the 2020 General Appropriations Act.

“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,” secretary Dar said.

The DA through the Land Bank of the Philippines will start distributing this week the P5,000 FSRF cash subsidy to 600,000 farmers. An earlier batch of 600,000 farmers, tilling up to two hectares, continues to receive P5,000 each under the RFFA.

“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,” the DA chief concluded. ###

Reference:
Noel Ocampo Reyes
DA Spokesperson & A/Sec for Communications & Media Affairs
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