CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Kapampangan farmers benefitted from the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA), and fuel subsidy of Department of Agriculture (DA).
About 2,000 farmers each received P5,000 under the RFFA as compensation for the projected reduction or loss of their farm income.
Moreover, 197 corn farmers from the municipalities of Arayat, Bacolor, Candaba, Porac, Lubao and Magalang and city of Angeles each got P3,000 as fuel subsidy for their machinery and facilities used for land preparation until postharvest.
DA Secretary William Dar said the assistance is the government’s aid for the improvement of the competitiveness of the Philippine rice industry by increasing yield of the farmers, and reducing their cost of production.
“The campaign for the 2022 elections is already finished, but our campaign against poverty and hunger in the agriculture sector is still continuous…This is the campaign we would like to have in the country: to increase our yield along with the profit of our farmers and fisherfolks. This should be sustained for a long term,” the cabinet official said.
He pledged DA’s commitment of helping the country toward food sufficiency amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, Vice Governor Lilia Pineda emphasized that the provincial government will help in the distribution of cash aid to the remaining 23,000 RFFA beneficiaries in Pampanga until June.
“In 2021, about 21,687 farmers were given assistance amounting to P109 million in total. This year, about 25,339 farmers will be given assistance amounting to P130 million in total. Kapampangans are very thankful to the national government,” she said.
Source: JAG LYRA D. COSTAMERO (PIA3)
