Article by:
Connie Calipay
LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) will distribute PHP604 million in assistance to farmers and fisherfolk in the Bicol Region affected by ongoing oil price hikes once funding becomes available soon.
In an online press conference on Friday, Florentino Ubalde Jr., DA agricultural program coordinating officer for Albay, said cash assistance amounting to PHP2,325 each will be given to 260,050 farmers and fisherfolk under the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk (PAFF).
“We are now finalizing the official list of PAFF beneficiaries. For Bicol, the government allocated around PHP604 million for the PAFF,” he said.
The assistance will go to more than 169,000 rice farmers, 50,970 corn farmers, 1,200 sugarcane farmers and 38,400 fisherfolk.
Ubalde said that based on initial information, the aid may be released next week, depending on the fund’s release from the DA central office.
“We hope and pray that by next week, we can start releasing the PAFF aid. We will have a caravan per municipality,” he said.
Ubalde clarified that only farmers and fisherfolk registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) will be eligible for the assistance.
He added the agency will also implement interventions like distributing production inputs such as hybrid and inbred seeds and fertilizer, providing a PHP3,000 fuel subsidy for remaining qualified farmers in 2023–2024, and a PHP5,000 subsidy for remaining beneficiaries in 2025.
“We are now preparing to deliver these interventions, including production inputs, to every province in the region,” he said.
Ubalde added the DA continues to coordinate with the local price coordination councils of various local government units to monitor agricultural product prices. (PNA)
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