SOME 4,731 small rice farmers in Negros Occidental are expected to receive their P5,000 cash assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA), through its Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers (FSRF) program, next week.
Engineer Jose Albert Barrogo, DA’s team leader for Negros Occidental, told SunStar Bacolod that these farmers are the first batch of recipients in the province to receive the one-time subsidy.
They actually form part of the 19,344 small rice farmers whose names were already submitted to DA-Western Visayas for verification if qualified to avail of the program, Barrogo said.
“We were informed that 4,731 farmers in the province were already verified and included in the payroll,” he said, adding that the release of almost P23.7 million for the first batch of recipients will be through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
The P5,000 subsidy is a sort of social amelioration intended to allay possible adverse effects of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis among small rice farmers.
Those who are qualified are those with farm areas of one hectare and below.
The DA has an allocation of about P102 million for Negros Occidental which forms part of the P3 billion fund allocated by the DA for recipient-rice farmers in the country.
Given such allocation, some 20,488 small rice farmers in the province are targeted to avail the cash assistance.
Barrogo, however, said there are about 2,000 additional rice farmers listed by local government units (LGUs) and are still up for submission to DA-Western Visayas.
Thus, the province will have about 21,344 farmer-recipients, which are more than the initial target of 20, 488.
Though still subject to verification by the regional line agency, Barrogo said there’s a huge chance that all of them will be qualified and given financial assistance.
“The fund for the excess number of recipients in Negros Occidental will be sourced from other provinces which have not fully utilized their allocation,” he said.
The recipient-farmers in Negros Occidental are from 13 cities and 19 municipalities.
“After the first batch, the release for the remaining farmers will follow,” the DA official said.
Barrogo said the LBP has designated 10 branches in the province “so farmers may get their cash assistance in any of these branches, or those nearest them.”
Barrogo urged farmers to use such aid for their basic needs as well as farm inputs like seeds and fertilizers in preparation for the first cropping season.
“Though the DA is providing subsidy to farmers in term of rice seeds and fertilizers but these are not enough,” he pointed out, reiterating that the assistance is hoped to somehow lessen the burden of their families.*
EPN Photo: An initial batch of 4,731 small rice farmers in Negros Occidental are expected to receive their P5,000 cash assistance from the Department of Agriculture through its Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers program next week.