The Department of Agriculture (DA) distributed financial assistance, projects, and machineries to Aklanon farmers and fisherfolk during the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) launching ceremony held in Kalibo, Aklan on December 10, 2021.
Engr. Arnel de Mesa, DA assistant secretary-designate for operations, spearheaded the distribution of interventions in Aklan in behalf of Secretary William Dar.
A total of 31,859 rice farmers from Aklan benefitted from the RFFA, with the province receiving a total RFFA funding of P159 million.
Other DA attached agencies also granted P508 million (M) worth of DA projects to the Provincial Government of Aklan.
The Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) turned over P259 M worth of projects, which include rehabilitation and improvement projects of farm-to-market roads, facilities, and training enterprises in Aklan.
The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) distributed P56.5 M worth of machineries to farmers’ associations and municipal governments in Aklan.
The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) also granted P1.73 M to the province under its Incentivized Coconut Planting and Replanting Project.
Indemnity checks amounting to P8 M were distributed by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) Region VI to Aklanon farmers affected by pest infestation and calamities.
Farmers and fishers from the second district of Aklan also received P25 M under the Sure COVID-19 Program of the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council (ACPC), which helps micro and small enterprises, farmers, and fishers affected by the pandemic.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region VI turned over five units of boats with marine engines to Aklanon fisherfolk.
A registration booth for the Farmer’s Interventions Monitoring Card (FIMC) was also opened for rice farmers in Kalibo.
The FMIC serves as an identification card and a cash card that provides easy access to government interventions. Farmers and fisherfolk who are registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture may apply for the said card. (Photos by Gian Carlo Luague, DA-AFID)
