A total of 21,119 rice farmers in the Province of Pampanga will receive P107 million-worth of cash assistance through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) Program.
During the RCEF-RFFA Program launch in Guagua, Pampanga on November 8, 2021, Agriculture Secretary William Dar announced that under the RCEF-RFFA, qualified rice farmers with landholdings of up to two hectares and enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) will receive unconditional cash assistance worth P5,000 through the Interventions Monitoring Card (IMC).
In his message, the agri chief also highlighted the positive outcomes of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) that created the P10-billion RCEF to help local farmers be more competitive.
The outcomes include the decline in the average retail price of rice, increased palay harvest, steady supply of local rice and the absence of rice “pila” amid the pandemic. Among other results, it was also noted that the rice industry does not contribute to food inflation.
He added that the RFFA being distributed comes from the excess rice tariff collected by the Bureau of Customs from rice imports.
“Ang Rice Tariffication Law ay napakalaking tulong po sa mga magsasaka sa pamamagitan po ng pagbibigay ng mga interventions katulad ng binhi, mga makinarya para sa mga asosasyon o kooperatiba, at mga financial assistance. Labis po itong nakatutulong,” Comfesor Jingco, one of the RFFA beneficiaries, said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) Central Luzon Regional Field Office (RFO) targets to distribute P901.643 million total cash assistance to 177,839 rice farmers in the entire region before the year ends.
The DA partnered with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), and Squidpay Technology for the payment and distribution of cash grants to the farmers through the IMC, which can be used as an identification card and cash card.
“Dito sa Pampanga, ang ating gobyerno rito led by Governor Dennis Pineda ay para sa mga magsasaka. Marami pong itinutulong ang Lalawigan ng Pampanga para sa kapakanan ng agrikultura at partner niya ang Kagawaran ng Pagsasaka para sa ganun, kayo na mga magsasaka at mangingisda ay yayaman na rin,” Secretary Dar said.
The Secretary also revealed some of the future collaborations of DA and the Pampanga local government unit including the Province-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System (PAFES), wherein DA has committed P521 million counterpart.
They will also partner for the establishment of a five-hectare technology demonstration site to train local farmers on modern technologies and approaches in rice and high-value crops production using precision agriculture.
“Tayo sa sektor ng agrikultura ay magpursigi pa, magsumikap para sa ganun mas maraming pagkain ang inyong mai-produce kasi kayo ang nagpapakain sa mga mamamayan ng ating bansa,” Secretary Dar said. ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)
