CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday distributed cash assistance to eligible rice farmers in Central Luzon under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA).

In a statement, DA Regional Technical Director for Operations and Extension Eduardo Lapuz said some 3,200 rice farmers from the towns of Guimba, Sto. Domingo and Muñoz in Nueva Ecija province have started claiming direct financial support that aims “to alleviate the financial burden being faced by farmers amid the drop in the price of palay and the rising cost of fertilizers.”

“The program also aims to provide assistance during times of crop losses or natural disasters,” he said.

Under the special provisions of the RCEF, the RFFA program provides rice farmers who are registered under the Registry Systems for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), and tilling land measuring two hectares and below, unconditional cash assistance of PHP5,000.

The program sources its funds from the rice tariffs collected annually in excess of the PHP10 billion allocated for RCEF.

Ferdinand Bernabe, one of the farmer-beneficiaries in Barangay Baloc, Sto. Domingo, thanked the government for the help extended to them.

“Maraming-maraming salamat po sa ibinibigay na tulong at natatanggap naming biyaya sa DA. Magagamit ko po ito pandagdag pambili ng abono. (Thank you so much for the assistance and the benefits that we are receiving from the DA. I can use it to supplement the purchase of fertilizer),” Bernabe said.

Meanwhile, Lapuz urged farmers to register with the RSBSA so they could easily avail of government assistance.

“Those registered in the electronic database of government agencies are given priority in the targeting and implementation of any agriculture-related assistance program of the government,” he said. (Zorayda Tecson, PNA)