ANTIQUE – A total of 39,177 out of 44,138 farmer-beneficiaries under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) 2024 have claimed their P7,000 cash assistance as of Feb. 26.
Sonie Guanco, head of the Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Program Coordinating Office (DA-APCO) in Antique, said the 39,177 farmers represent 88.76 percent of the first batch of beneficiaries. The remaining 4,961 farmers are expected to receive their aid by the first week of March.
“Farmers claimed their cash assistance using their intervention monitoring card or automated teller machine card,” Guanco said.
A total of 50,383 farmers in the province qualified for the program but only 44,138 from the first batch have their funds credited through the Development Bank of the Philippines and its partner, Universal Storefront Service Corp. The remaining 6,245 farmers, part of the second batch, will be notified once their funds are available.
Guanco noted that the RCEF-RFFA 2023, distributed last year, provided P5,000 per farmer. The increase in the amount for 2024 was based on tariff collections from imported rice.
The assistance is intended for farmers tilling rice farms measuring two hectares or less and registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture. The funds aim to help farmers purchase fertilizers, pesticides, and other farm inputs to boost rice production. (PNA)
