Mindanaotoday.com | Aggie dep continues rice farmers’ cash aid rollout in Bukidnon
KIBAWE, Bukidnon – A total of 3,472 rice farmers in the towns of Kibawe, Dangcagan, Kadingilan, Don Carlos, and Pangantucan in Bukidnon received P5,000 in cash aid on January 11–13 as the Department of Agriculture-Region 10 (DA-10) continued rolling out the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) in said localities for the 2022–2023 dry cropping season.
The RFFA is given to smallholder rice farmers tilling rice areas not exceeding two hectares and registered to the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), the DA’s official registry of farmers, fisherfolk, and farm laborers.
According to Carlene Collado, DA-10 regional executive director, the agency fast-tracks the RFFA distribution to the rice farmers in Northern Mindanao in the aftermath of the shear line that hit agricultural areas in the region late last year and the continuing weather disturbance early in 2023.
“We intend to roll out the RFFA the fastest way we can. We assure our RFFA beneficiaries they will receive their aid as soon as we have ironed out our coordination with the local government units,” Collado said.
For the 2022–2023 dry cropping season, DA-10 has allocated P237 million for the RFFA to benefit 46,161 eligible rice farmers across the region.
The RFFA is funded under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) by the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) and is intended to compensate for the increasing farm input prices and the fluctuating Palay buying prices.
With the RFFA, rice farmers hope to sustain their farm production and boost their earnings. (DA-10 | PIA 10 | Bukidnon)
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