The Department of Agriculture (DA) has released more than P164 million in financial assistance to 70,655 corn, rice, and sugar farmers in Negros Oriental, under the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk (PAFF) program.
Bernard Limbaga, DA provincial agriculture program coordinating officer, said each farmer-beneficiary received P2,325 in cash assistance. “I understand this assistance aims to alleviate rising fuel and production costs to farmers due to the Middle East crisis.”
The DA is also preparing contingency measures to address the potential effects of a dry spell on the agriculture sector.
Of the total, the 1st District received P80,610,075 for 34,671 farmers; the 2nd District received P42,015,095 for 18,071 farmers; and the third District got P41,647,725 for 17,913 farmers.
All beneficiaries are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).
Limbaga said that for this first tranche, the majority of beneficiaries are rice, corn, and sugar farmers.
For fishers registered under the National Program for Municipal Fishing Vessels and Gears Registration (BoatR), he said the funding will be released in a later tranche.
The province has about 19,000 hectares planted to rice and about 50,000 hectares of corn.
Rice farmer Willys Dales, 53, of Barangay Motong, Dumaguete City, thanked the government for the financial support. “Dako kaayo’g tabang ang akong nadawat kay makapalit ko og dugang abuno bisag gamay but at least maka dugang-dugang kay mahal baya ang fertilizers karon.”
Agriculturist and rice technician Regene Migullas of the Dumaguete City Agriculture Office said that Dales is one of 88 farmers in Dumaguete City who received the cash aid May 2.
The city has 10 hectares of rice farms and about 100 hectares planted to corn.
Migullas said each farmer registered under the RSBSA must have a farm of at least two hectares to qualify for the assistance.
Aside from the PAFF, the DA is also ramping up distribution of free vegetables and fuel subsidies to farmers as additional support to address rising production and input costs, including those experiencing prolonged dry spell. | PIA
