The Department of Agriculture (DA) in partnership with the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) through the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist (OMAG) started the distribution of the first release of Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.
The RFFA program through the DA’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) aims to assist smallholder rice farmers who are affected by the drop in palay or rice grain prices.
According to Assistant Municipal Agriculturist Catherine Agcon, a total of 2,195 rice farmers in the municipality are the beneficiaries for this year’s RFFA program.
For the first release of the RFFA, a total of 1,426 eligible rice farmers in the municipality will receive their grant amounting to ₱5,000.00 each from the DA’s partner remittance center after claiming their stubs at the OMAG.
Meanwhile, the remaining 769 qualified rice farmers will receive the same amount on the second release of the RFFA.
Per Memorandum Order No. 30 of the DA, the beneficiaries must be registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector Agriculture (RSBSA) and must be farming rice areas at least 0.5 hectares but not exceeding two hectares.
The Bontoc LGU through the OMAg submitted the list to the DA-CAR and the latter is responsible for screening and identifying the qualified beneficiaries.//Christy Mae Che-es, Bontoc LGU
