DAVAO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) XI affirmed continuous support and assistance to rice farmers in Davao region through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP) to improve their rice production, thereby increasing their income.
“Marami tayong programs sa DA ngayon to ensure food security and assistance sa ating farmer, meron tayong program sa rice, to provide interventions to ensure [na] tataas ang produksyon nila [para] tataas yung income nila,” DA-XI regional executive director Macario D. Gonzaga said during today’s Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas.
(The DA currently has several programs to ensure food security and assistance to our farmers; we have a rice program [RCEP] to provide interventions to ensure that their production will improve so that their income will increase as well.)
Gonzaga added, “We do that intervention, yung mga funds naming binubuhos namin sa kanila para ma-ensure natin na matulungan ang mga kababayan nating rice farmers.”
(We do that intervention. We pour the funds into them through various programs to help them.)
Since the implementation of RCEP in 2019 in the region, Gonzaga said that a total of P1,155,900,883.71 worth of assistance had been provided to rice farmers in the region.
This assistance includes rice farm mechanization, inbred rice seed development, propagation, and promotion, expanded rice credit, and rice extension services.
Gonzaga revealed that for 2024, they are currently supporting a total of 67 farmer, cooperative, and association (FCA) beneficiaries across the region under RCEP. Of these beneficiaries, 14 are from Davao Oriental, 12 from Davao de Oro, 25 from Davao del Norte, and 16 from Davao del Sur.
In terms of the mechanization component of RCEP, Gonzaga said that at present, they have already distributed a total of P8,131,600.00 worth of rice farming machinery to various FCAs across the region.
The machinery granted to FCAs includes agricultural tractors, farm tillers, rice seeders, rice transplanters, irrigation pumps, small solar irrigation, rice threshers, rice harvesters, rice reapers, mechanical rice dryers, rice mills, and many others.
For instance, Gonzaga said that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., together with DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., recently led the distribution of rice farming machinery to FCAs in Davao del Norte during the former’s visit in Tagum City.
Five units hand tractor, six units floating tiller, one unit riding-type transplanter, four units rice combine harvester, two units four-wheel tractor, two units walk-behind transplanter, one unit single pass rice mill, one unit rice thresher, and one unit mobile rice miller were given to FCAs from Kapalong, New Corella, Talaingod, and Carmen in Davao del Norte.
Moreover, regarding the rice seed component of RCEP during the dry season, Gonzaga said that at present, they have already distributed a total of 23,015 bags of 20kg rice seed to 5,401 farmer beneficiaries across the region, amounting to P11,051,920.00.
While 23,015 bags of 20kg rice seed were already distributed to 14,308 farmer beneficiaries across the region, amounting to P42,891,816.00, during the wet season.
For the extension component of RCEP, Gonzaga said that they have facilitated a series of training of trainers on the production of high-quality inbred rice seed and farm mechanization, RCEP training on inbred rice seed production and certification for deputized and designated seed inspectors, training of rice products and by-products, among others.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga reported that around 27,619 rice farmers across the region have availed of the P5,000.00 unconditional cash aid under Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA).
He added that they have targeted around 45,000 rice farmers in the region for the said assistance.
However, he said that assistance is only given to the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) registered farmers who are tilling rice lands of 2 hectares and below.
RFFA is an unconditional financial assistance to farmers funded by excess tariff collection from rice imports. Evelyn G. Basa, DA-XI regional rice program focal, said that this year is the fourth round of RFAA in the region.
RCEP is a program of DA that aims to improve the competitiveness of rice farmers and increase their income. RCEP implementation includes rice farm mechanization; inbred rice seed development, propagation, and promotion; expanded rice credit assistance; and rice extension services.
Basa said that P10 billion from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) was allocated to carry out the program. Specifically, P5 billion is for farm machinery equipment, P3 billion is for seeds and extension, and P2 billion is for training and extension services. (ASO/PIA Davao Region)
