DA to provide cash, food aid to over 890K farmers

CASH AND FOOD SUBSIDY. Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Development Bank of the Philippines president Emmanuel Herbosa sign a memorandum of agreement for the cash and food subsidy to marginal farmers and fishers program (CFSMFFP) on Monday (Nov. 9, 2020). DA said it continues to create programs aimed at assisting farmers hit hard by the pandemic. (PNA photo by Joey Razon)

MANILA – The Department of Agriculture on Monday said it continues to create programs aimed at assisting farmers hit hard by the pandemic.

“Every farmer really suffered during this pandemic, it’s not only our rice farmers. This time around, we are providing cash aid to corn, coconut, sugarcane, fishery farmers. It is our obligation to line up some social amelioration assistance,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said during a ceremonial signing in Quezon City.

Dar and Development Bank of the Philippines president Emmanuel Herbosa signed a memorandum of agreement for the cash and food subsidy to marginal farmers and fishers program (CFSMFFP).

Dar said through the Bayanihan to Recover as One 2, they received PHP24 billion funding to provide direct cash assistance or low-interest rate subsidies to qualified agri-fishery enterprises, farmers and fisherfolk, which are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), and agriculture cooperatives to finance the “Plant, Plant, Plant” program to ensure food security.

Under the stimulus package for agriculture, PHP6.5 billion will be poured into the agency’s social amelioration projects (SAP).

It is where the CFSMFFP got its PHP4.5 billion funding.

CFSMFFP shoulders some PHP5,000 worth of food and financial assistance to eligible RSBSA-registered beneficiaries from different sectors in agriculture and fisheries.

The amount is broken down into PHP3,000 cash, PHP600 worth of chicken supply, PHP400 worth of eggs, and PHP1,000 worth of rice aid.

During the program, Dar said they came up with the distribution of food assistance so the livestock and poultry sector may somehow generate income.

DA operations director Roy Abaya, in an interview, said they have come up with about 890,794 farmer-beneficiaries due to budget limitations.

“Those that have qualified were considered as the hardest-hit,” he added.

During his presentation, Abaya said the figure consists of 198,023 corn farmers, 346,534 coconut farmers, 29,702 sugarcane farmers, 287,128 farmers in the fisheries sector, and 29,407 indigenous people farmers and fishers.

He also clarified that just like their assistance to rice farmers, the CFSMFFP is a one-time thing “for now”.

“Depending on the future budget allocations, how the situation will go around, we will continue to assess the problems,” he said.

Digital transaction

Moreover, the DA also prides itself to have produced the first-ever e-voucher system in the government.

Dennis Layug, DA head of information and communications technology, announced this during his presentation, adding that they have developed the QR code-run system themselves.

“Instead of spending money for a third-party developer, we just decided to do it ourselves so more money can go for the farmer-beneficiaries,” he said.

The cash assistance can be claimed by beneficiaries at any payout center accredited by DBP upon presentation of any government-issued ID, and the unique reference code sent by the implementing agencies via text message.