At least 2,200 members of the Legazpi City Farmers’ Association received PHP5,000 cash assistance each from the Department of Agriculture (DA) on two separate payouts this week.

In an interview on Tuesday, Shiela Nas, City Agriculture Office (CAO) chief, said these farmers are enrolled with the Registry System for Basic Sector of Agriculture (RSBSA) as part of DA’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) mechanization program.

RCEF is part of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law aimed at reducing the cost of rice production through the use of an accurate, effective, and complete set of machinery to reduce post-harvest losses.

“Presently, we have 525 hectares of farmland in Legazpi that produce an average of 120 bags per hectare,” Nas said even as she noted that the farmer-beneficiaries will be using their cash assistance for planting hybrid and inbreed palay seeds to harvest more and increase their income.

Nas said the planting materials and fertilizers would be given for free to the farmers as part of DA’s subsidization program to improve the livelihood of those in the agricultural sector.

She said the city government has also allocated PHP2 million for fertilizer assistance to the palay farmers, adding that her office has equipment available for them to use in cultivating their land.

Nas said planting hybrid palay is good for rainy days or in agricultural areas with good irrigation.

“During harvesting time, those interested farmers are free to deliver their hybrid rice to the CAO and it will be sold to the city government employees at a competitive price,” she noted.

Meanwhile, Benito Maravilla, a member of Barangay San Francisco Farmers Association (SFFA), said he is very grateful for the cash assistance, which he would use to pay the wages of those who would help him prepare his farm for planting.

“The members of the agricultural sector who are mostly farmers are considered poor families in the community. But through this cash aid, we can avoid borrowing with high interest,” he said.

Maravilla said he is also waiting for fertilizer assistance from the DA and CAO as these would help him increase his harvest, noting that palay is heavily dependent on this. (PNA)