The Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) started distributing PHP525 million worth of discount vouchers to rice farmers in the region for the start of the 2024 wet and dry seasons.

In a statement Friday, DA-13 said the ongoing distribution activities for Seed Discount Vouchers (SDVs), Bio-fertilizer Discount Vouchers (BFDVs), and Fertilizer Discount Vouchers (FDVs) started on June 5 and would benefit some 137,363 rice farmers in the region.

The voucher distribution is part of the DA-Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (DA-MRIDP).

Out of the region’s total budget, PHP370 million is allotted to FDVs to cover some 108,000 hectares of rice fields; PHP80 million to SDVs for 16,000 hectares of rice farms; and PHP75 million to the BFDV for 50,000 hectares of rice fields in the region.

On Thursday, a three-day distribution activity also started in this city, targeting over 2,000 rice farmers from 35 barangays. On the same day, a separate distribution was also facilitated in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, where 901 rice farmers received their FDV and BFDV vouchers.

DA-13 said a series of distribution activities are also slated for next week in other provinces to aid farmers with their seeds and fertilizer needs.

“The FDV allows beneficiaries to get a voucher worth PHP3,400 per hectare, with a maximum coverage of five hectares per farmer,” the DA-13 said.

Qualified farmers will also receive PHP5,000 per hectare or a maximum of five hectares under the SDV and PHP1,500 per hectare and a maximum of five hectares per farmer under the BFDV.

Kristian Al Pelenio, a rice farmer in this city, said he has been a beneficiary of the agriculture department’s program since 2022.

“I’ve been a farmer for nine years. These interventions are a big help for us farmers as they can augment our fertilizer needs in our rice fields,” Pelenio was quoted.

Another rice farmer, Veronica Enero of Barangay Abilan, Buenavista town, hoped for the continuation of the DA-MRIDP program, which she described as a timely intervention for rice farmers.

The beneficiaries are rice farmers enrolled in the DA Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture. (PNA)