(FILE) Farmers harvest rice at Barangay Unzad in Villasis town in Pangasinan province. (Photo by Willie Lomibao)
MANILA, Philippines —Rice farmers will be receiving financial aid starting April to assist them with their needs amid the soaring prices of fuel, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Wednesday.
Under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA), each farmer tilling 2 hectares or less will receive P5,000.
Aside from the RFFA, the Department of Agriculture will also provide fertilizer subsidies.
“‘Yung Rice Farm (Farmers) Financial Assistance will be given starting April first week at ito ‘yung ayuda na tutulong sa mga pangangailangan din nila kasama na ‘yun ‘yung fuel doon. Malaking tulong ‘yun,” Dar said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
(The rice farm financial assistance will be given starting April first week and this will help them with their needs including fuel. That will be a big help.)
“Number two, magbibigay rin tayo ng (we will also give) fertilizer subsidy,” he added.
Dar said that traders have requested for fuel subsidies as well.
“Ang traders nga kanina humihingi rin ng tulong ng fuel subsidy kasi ‘yung tracking, ‘yung logistics ng transporting their rice to, say, metropolitan areas ay talagang tumataas na,” he said.
(Traders earlier asked for fuel subsidies because the cost of logistics of transporting their rice to metropolitan areas is increasing.)
“So, we will submit one recommendation if we can have itong (this) logistics cost so that hindi po tataas ang presyuhan ng mga bilihin sa merkado (the price of commodities will not increase in the market),” continued Dar.
Currently, local pump prices cost P84 for diesel and P94 for gasoline.