SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (PIA) — A total of 5,560 farmers in Occidental Mindoro recently received financial assistance under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Each eligible beneficiary-farmers cultivating two hectares of land or less, and are enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture or RSBSA received ₱5,000, totaling ₱27.8 million.
The aid aims “to provide temporary relief to eligible farmers throughout the implementation years of the [Rice Tariffication Law]” as explained in the DA Memorandum Order No. 64, series of 2021.
Additionally, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said, when he approved the release of the ₱12 billion fund for the RFFA in 2023, that the intervention’s purpose is to “help [farmers] cope with the increasing cost of production and sustain their productivity even in the face of challenges like the El Nino.”
Glenn Cambel, a farmer from the municipality of San Jose, shared that the monetary aid helped with their farm expenses saying, “Kahit na maliit na pera pero malaking tulong sa pagsasaka. Ipinangbayad po namin sa traktora,” he said.
(Even if it is a small amount, it is a huge help for our farming. We used it to pay for tractor services.)
The payout was led by the DA Agricultural Program Coordinating Office and the local government units, in partnership with the Universal Storefront Services Corporation, commonly known as Western Union. (DSG/PIA MIMAROPA-Occidental Mindoro)
PHOTO ABOVE COURTESY OF MIO SAN JOSE
