On November 19, Agriculture Secretary William Dar distributed P5,000 unconditional cash assistance to 68,179 rice farmers from the first and second districts of Zamboanga City under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
A total of P345.6 million is to be released to rice farmers tilling up to two hectares of rice farm and is registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).
During the event, the DA chief also handed out certificates of recognition and awards for various projects, under the Philippine Carabao Center, the National Dairy Authority, and the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Meanwhile, the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) awarded P2M project grant to the local government unit of Pitogo as regional winner of the Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan contest. It also presented to the Aplaya Buenavista Fisherfolk Association two units of circular cage and 0.25 hectare deep-sea seaweed culture nursery. (Photo by Gian Carlo Luague, DA-AFID)
