Aklan rice farmers get P159-M cash grants under RCEF

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Dec. 10, 2021 granted a P159.295-million in Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) to the provincial government of Aklan for 31,859 rice farmers.

The P5,000 aid per recipient is for rice farmers with landholdings of not more than two hectares and is listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA). DA Assistant Secretary for

Operations Arnel De Mesa led the launching of the RFFA allocation for the province of Aklan.

“Noong 2020, nagkaroon ng record na harvest sa palay na umabot sa 19.44 million metric tons. Ngayong taon, dahil naging maganda ang panahon at nakapagbahagi tayo ng tamang ayuda, ine-expect natin na magkaroon na naman ng record breaking na lalagpas sa 20 million metric tons. Ito po ay dahil sa pagpupugay at kasipagan ng magsasaka ng palay lalong lalo na dito sa Western Visayas,” said De Mesa.

The excess of the P10-billion from Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) was allocated to the RFFA. The government had generated P2.135-million excess tariffs in 2019, and P5,.47 million in 2020.

Out of the P7.6 million excess tariffs from RCEF, Western Visayas got P1.17 billion of RFFA interventions to benefit 234,199 rice farmers.

The Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) liberalizes rice importation by replacing quantitative restrictions on rice imports with tariffs. The law created the P10-billion RCEF from tariff revenues to improve the competitiveness of the Philippine rice industry by increasing yield and reducing the cost of production.

RCEF provides P5 billion fund for farm mechanization, P3 billion for seeds development and distribution, P1 billion for credit support, and P1 billion for extension and training components.

“Ako ay maligaya dahil sinagot ng ating national government na binigyan nila ng pagkakataon na masuportahan ang isa sa haligi ng ating ekonomiya-agrikultura. Naging successfull tayo sa tourism, upang kulang pa tayo sa agrikultura. Ngayon makakatanggap din tayo ng Rice Farmers Financial Assistance; 31,859 na magsasaka ang matutulungan. Kung susumahin mula sa 5,000 pesos per farmer, ang maibibigay sa Aklan ay 159,295 million pesos, mabuhay ang national government,” Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores said.

The province of Aklan received a total of P508,861,1976.59 worth of projects from DA projects and its attached agencies on Dec. 10:

-Panay Rural Development Program (PRDP) P259,664,646.51 worth of projects;

-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) P1,120,000.00 worth of projects;

-Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) P1,731,950.00 worth of projects;

-Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) 1,500 pieces of indemnity cheques amounting to P8,525,923.00;

-Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) SURE Aid and Recovery P25,000,000.00 transferred through the Integrated Barangays of Numancia Multi-Purpose Cooperative;

-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) P56,526,475 worth of farm machinery and tractors;

-DA-WV Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division P2-million Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita Financial Grant Assistance

“The twin economic drivers of the Province of Aklan are tourism and agriculture. Being a mainly agricultural province, we have continuously endeavored to enhance our agricultural programs to assist our farmers and fisherfolks directly. We must welcome the support of the central and regional offices of the Department of Agriculture and its attached agencies”, said Vice Governor Reynaldo Quimpo.

Moreover, Asec. De Mesa pronounced that DA Secretary William Dar is impressed and is thankful for Western Visayas LGUs for not having cases of African Swine Fever in the area. Thus, helping the entire NCR and Luzon continue the supply of pork meat. With this, the agency will be allocating an incentive budget for Region VI next year for its hog repopulation program. (MCMBuala/ Photos by JVDeGuzman/DA-RAFIS 6)