At least 1,887 members of the different farmer associations in Legazpi City received PHP5,000 cash assistance each from the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday.

Sheila Naz, City Agriculture Office (CAO) chief said in an interview the recipients are all members of the 21 farmer associations here that are DA-accredited.

The cash aid is part of the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program with the implementation of the Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tarrification law (RTL), she added.

“The RTL aims to reduce the cost of rice production through the use of an accurate, effective, and competitive set of machinery to reduce post-harvest losses,” Naz said.

The payout is a regular program of the DA to the farmers who are members of farmer associations that passed the accreditation requirements of the DA.

Mayor Geraldine Rosal said the cash assistance could be used by the farmers to plant hybrid and inbreed palay seeds to harvest more yields and increase their income.

She also encouraged more farmers to register to avail the benefits coming from the DA.

“This cash assistance to the farmers is one of the priority programs of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as part of strengthening the agricultural sector in the country,” Rosal said.

“Farmers who are not yet registered in RSBSA should go to the CAO to inquire how they could register,” Rosal added.

Earl Vegas, DA-Regional Rice, and Corn Program Coordinator, during the payout at Legazpi City Convention Center, said that the RFFA program of the DA is anticipated to cushion the impact of the high cost of fuel and fertilizers that affected so much that farming activities of the farmers.

“This cash aid could somehow cushion the impact of the increasing cost of farming production, including fertilizers,” Vegas said.

Ronaldo Medes, a member of the Barangay Cagbacong Farmers Association, said the cash assistance could be used by the farmers to buy fertilizers and other farm materials they need every planting season.

Medes wished that this cash assistance program of the government would be sustained to continuously help the farmers in producing sufficient agricultural yields needed by the consuming public. (PNA)