By Connie Calipay
In Legazpi City, over 2,000 farmers, cooperatives, associations, and two local government units (LGUs) in Camarines Sur were granted PHP75 million in aid from the Department of Agriculture. This assistance, provided on Wednesday according to Lovella Guarin, DA-Bicol spokesperson, includes cash aid through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) and farm machinery under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Program, aimed at advancing agricultural development and modernization.
About 2,128 rice farmers received a PHP5,000 cash assistance each for a total of PHP10.64 million, and 28 units of four-wheel drive (4WD) tractors worth PHP64.4 million to 26 farmer cooperatives and associations and the LGUs of Buhi and Pamplona.
“Rice farmers and cooperatives in Camarines Sur were assisted since it performed well as the top six rice-producing province in the country for 2023. The different interventions will boost production and provide easy harvest for our farmers,” Guarin said in a message to the Philippine News Agency.
She said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the awarding and distribution of the assistance last week at the Fuerte CamSur Sports Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur.
Camarines Sur Governor Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte thanked the DA chief for his support to the province’s agriculture sector.
Jejomar Aguilar, chairman of Monte Calvario Smart Farmers Association (MOCSFA) in Buhi, said the 4WD tractor they received would help them boost productivity. (PNA)
