TACURONG CITY, Sultan Kudarat (PIA) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA), together with the city government of Tacurong, distributed over P11.8 million in cash aid to farmers as part of the agency’s Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.

City Agriculturist Ivan Gerry Arzagon said a total of 2,378 farmers received a P5,000 subsidy each to compensate for income losses due to the decline in palay selling prices and the increasing cost of fertilizer and other farm inputs.

Based on the special provisions of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), the RFFA program provides rice farmers with cash assistance who are tilling at least two hectares of land and below, provided further they are listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).

This is from last year’s RCEF Fund, and they [DA] are looking forward to the approval of the program extension so that more farmers can benefit, Arzagon further explained.

He also disclosed that DA has also introduced a new system to distribute financial aid through the Intervention Monitoring Cards—Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (IMC-EMV) cards.

“The IMC-EMV serves as a multi-purpose card for farmers enrolled in the DA’s registry system. This contains basic information such as the beneficiaries’ name, photo, QR code, RSBSA number, and e-wallet card,” said Arzagon.

According to the official, the use of IMC-EMV is beneficial to both the government and the farmers. 

“If, in the future, may release ulit ng cash aid and other benefits, hindi na sila pipila ulit, i-inform na lang sila na may ayuda na. So, mas pinadali na ang distribution process,” he emphasized.

(If, in the future, there is another release of cash aid and other benefits, they will not be queueing again; we will just inform them that there is aid, simplifying the distribution process.)

Meanwhile, Gerol Afante, president of the San Rafael Farmers Association, expressed gratitude for the government’s intervention for farmers like him.

"We're truly thankful for the government’s support. This is an example of the government’s commitment to bring needed services to its people, especially for us in the agriculture sector,” Afante conveyed as he urged fellow farmers to register with the RSBSA to be able to avail more of the DA programs and benefits. (ORVR - PIA Sultan Kudarat)