TABUK CITY, Kalinga (PIA) — A total of 2,010 farmers in Kalinga have received their Intervention Monitoring Card (IMC) from the Department of Agriculture in 2024, according to the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg).
With the IMC, it’s now easier for farmers to access assistance from the government as it digitizes the processing of various interventions such as cash aid.
“Daytoy diay kasla ATM nga usaren da nga agiwithdrawidiay P5,000 [cash assistance] ken nu apan da isakadadiay fertilizer tapnu han nga kasapulan nga agpilpila,” said Ayessa Shyll Espiritu of the OPAg .
(This is like an ATM that they will use to withdraw the P5,000 cash assistance, and fertilizer without queuing.)
Kalinga and Apayao were among the provinces where the IMC was piloted.
Meanwhile, a total of 2,232 rice farmers in the province have benefitted from the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) in 2024.
“Daytoy diay P5,00 each nga maited kadagiyay farmers tayo nga ti taltalunen da ket two hectares below,” Espritu said.
Thirteen farmers’ cooperative and associations (FCAs) have also benefited from the mechanization program of the RCEF, receiving various machinery such as rice combine harvesters, tractors, and recirculating dryers.
Under the seed program of the RCEF, a total of 14,336 bags weighing 20-kilogram each have been distributed to eligible rice farmers in Kalinga for the dry season in 2024.
Farmers will continue to benefit from the RCEF until 2031 following the extension of the measure for another six years and the increase of its allotted budget from P10 billion annually to P30 billion.
The RCEF is the result of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law of 2018 which lifted the quantitative restrictions on rice imports to the country. (JDP/IOS-PIA CAR, Kalinga)
