BAGUIO CITY – To further empower the rice farmers to be competitive in rice production in the Cordillera, the Department of Agriculture – Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) in partnership with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) through the Universal Storefront Services Corporation (USSC) continues to roll out the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) program through a distribution caravan on February 6-8, 2024 in Guisad, Baguio City.
A total of 1,243 Benguet rice farmers who are tilling 2 hectares and below received the P5,000 cash aid from the said program, or a total of Php6.215 million. The caravan targets the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) newly registered rice farmers eligible for the FY 2023 RCEF-RFFA program.
Aside from the cash aid, the farmers were also given their Intervention Monitoring Card (IMC) that serves as their identification cum cash card for an easier access to agriculture-related interventions such as financial assistance, seeds and fertilizer subsidies, among others.
The RFFA is derived from the excess of the annual rice tariff revenue of Php10 billion. It aims to subsidize the cost of production and projected loss of the rice farmers arising from the effects of the Rice Tariffication Law that is since being implemented in 2018.
The Emergency Medical Service of the Bureau of Fire Protection – CAR was also present to assist the farmers medically.
The RFFA caravan was also conducted simultaneously in Kalinga on the same week. Another caravan will be conducted in Abra this week. By CEWaytan
