At least 180 corn farmers in the Davao del Sur town of Matanao benefited from a PHP540,000 fuel subsidy extended by the Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 (Davao region), an official said Thursday.

In a statement, Abel James Monteagudo, DA-11 director, said each beneficiary received a PHP3,000 fuel discount card to help ease the impact of rising oil prices in the agricultural sector.

The subsidy was released to the farmers on August 23.

The DA also distributed 88 fertilizer subsidy coupons worth PHP2,000 each to qualified corn farmers.

Monteagudo noted that despite the challenges posed by the soaring prices of fuel and fertilizers, the farmers remain strong.

“Even though they faced agricultural hurdles like fuel price hikes and soaring prices of the fertilizers, our key players, the farmers remained resilient,” he said.

He advised the farmers to always take the initiative to ask for support from local government units for the advancement of their sector.

“We thank the farmers for their huge contribution in the agri-sector and for continuously providing food for the country despite the various challenges,” he said.

Monteagudo described Filipino farmers as the “backbone of the country” because they guarantee food security for the people.

“The DA continues to empower them by providing programs, training, farm machinery, and subsidies to increase their crop production while achieving an increase in their income,” he said. (PNA)