Aggie-NorMin distributes Php3.92-M RFFA to subsidize local rice production

 

Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental – To augment rice farmers financial resources amid fluctuating palay buying prices and high costs of farm inputs, the Department of Agriculture – Northern Mindanao Regional Field Office (Aggie-NorMin) rolled out another PhP3.92-million (M) Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) to qualified rice farmers in the region.

On October 21, a total of 212 smallholding rice farmers in Gingoog City and Magsaysay town, Misamis Oriental, received P7k in cash aid each from the DA-NorMin.

Not less than 561 rice farmers across Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Oriental are set to receive the said assistance in time with the second rollout of the RFFA from October 21 to 29.

Lucito M. Sagaral, a rice farmer from Agay-ayan, Gingoog City, shared how the assistance from the government would greatly help him in covering the cost of production for his 0.75-hectare rice field.

“Magpasalamat ko’g dako gyud [nakadawat ko ani nga assistance] kay makadugang-dugang sa panggasto para pangabono, pampalit sa mga hilo para sa atong kahumayan,” he said.

(I am very grateful to receive this assistance, because this would provide extra means in buying fertilizer and pesticides for my rice field.)

Each RFFA recipient received a cash card from which they can withdraw the P7k unconditional cash aid from the DA.

Funded under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), the RFFA program supports rice farmers tilling rice area 2 hectares and below and who are duly registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) of the DA.

Complementing this cash aid, the RCEF also provides rice seeds, fertilizer subsidies, farm mechanization, credit assistance, and training programs to boost farmers’ productivity and resilience amid the liberalization of rice imports.

This effort is consistent with the government’s thrust in propelling the country’s agriculture sector toward self-sufficiency and global competitiveness, as an economic driving force for inclusive and sustainable development.# (ATT)