TAYUM, Abra(PIA) -- A total of 3,334 small farmers in the province of Abra recently received financial aid from the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

This is the first distribution of RFFA payout in the province for 2024.

Under this program, farmers tilling two hectares and below and are registered under the Registration System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture will get to received P5,000 in cash assistance.

To facilitate faster release of cash assistance, the Agriculture Program Coordinating Office (APCO) in Abra organized a caravan assigning a host municipality to accommodate the beneficiaries including those from neighboring towns.

Maria Talledo, a farmer from Bucay, expressed her gratitude to the DA for the assistance.

“Napintas detoy nga programa para ti farmers ta dakkel a tulong kadagiti mannalon aglalo kanyami nga adda ti nasulinek a lugar [This program is beneficial for the farmers and this is a great help especially for us farmers from the remote areas],” she said.

Cabuloan Farmers Association President Quirino Bolor also conveyed his thanks for the assistance that they received.

“Saan man nga kadakkelan ti naawat, ngem adun ti maytulong na kanyami daytoy igatang mi ti bugaso mi, pangpa-tractor mi ti daga mi ket sapay kuma ta saan a maumuma ti Department of Agriculture nga mangtulong kadakami ta pumintas ti biag mi nga mannalon [It may not be much but this is of a great help, for the purchase of our fertilizer, for the cultivation of the land and we hope that DA will continue to help us to improve our lives]," he expressed. 

Abra APCO head Dr. Rosemarie Tesoro explained that they have to expedite the payout since there are farmers coming from the remote municipalities of the province. 

The RCEF is one of the financial aid programs for farmers affected by the implementation of the Rice Tarification Law. (CAT- PIA CAR, Abra)