ROXAS CITY, Capiz (PIA) — A total of 35,243 farmers here have received financial assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) program.
The program aims to provide financial assistance to eligible rice farmers as compensation for the projected reduction or loss of farm income arising from the tariffication of the quantitative import restrictions on rice.
Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer (APCO) for Capiz engineer Israel Barros said that as of Feb. 18, 2025, there were already 30,224 farmer beneficiaries who have cashed out their financial assistance from the national government.
Under the RFFA program, a P7,000 cash subsidy is given to the smallholder Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA)-registered rice farmers tilling half a hectare to two hectares of rice land.
Further, OIC-provincial agriculturist Raoul Perez highlighted that the program will help ease the financial burden of the farmers.
“Ini nga programa makabulig gid sa aton mga mangunguma, especially subong nga halos ang tanan nga mga balaklon nagmahal na. Tani, pinaagi sini, mahagan-hagan ang ila galastusan sa pagpanguma,” Perez stated.
(This program will help our farmers, especially now that almost all commodities have become expensive. Hopefully, this will help lessen their farming expenses.)
Moreover, Provincial Agriculturist Office information officer Florie May Castro said that the RFFA assistance for farmers started rolling out into their respective Intervention Monitoring Cards (IMC) earlier this month enabling them to withdraw it through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
Maayon town recorded the highest number of beneficiaries with 4,905 farmers, followed by Jamindan town with 4,257 farmers, Mambusao town with 4,211 farmers, and Panitan town with 4,052 farmers.
Marginal rice farmers from Roxas City, and the towns of Cuartero, Dao, Dumalag, Dumarao, Pilar, President Roxas, and Sigma have also received financial assistance from DA. (AGP/PLF/PIA Capiz)
