The Department of Agriculture (DA) is currently validating 250 corn farmers in Antique identified to be recipients of PHP3,000 fuel subsidy.

“DA is giving fuel subsidy in order to cushion the impact of the increasing fuel price among the corn farmers,” Antique Office of Provincial Agriculture (OPA) corn coordinator Noralyn Setias said on Thursday.

The validation will check if they are qualified to receive the subsidy, listed with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, belong to a cluster of farmers with at least 75 hectares of land area planted with corn, and have existing pieces of machinery.

DA is assisting them since they are also affected by the increasing fuel price, Setias added.

She added that only 250 corn farmers are being validated because others have previously received their rice farmer’s subsidy.

“Those rice farmers who are also planting corn will no longer receive the subsidy,” she said.

Setias added that corn now commands a higher price in the market, which is PHP19 to PHP21 per kilo, because of the demand.

There is greater demand for corn now because some rice farmers have diverted into planting corn which is less laborious and needs less fuel for their machinery during land preparation. (PNA)