Some 12,000 farmers from this city received PhP5,000 cash assistance from the Department of Agriculture through the agency’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA).

The DA dole out that ended Sunday recognized 5,286 Tabuk rice growers and who were all registered under the Registry for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RBSA).

DA – Cordillera regional rice coordinator Edwin Joseph Franco said the beneficiaries have a land holding of two hectares and a minimum of 2,500 square meters and only one per household was accommodated.

The cash assistance was aimed to help farmers affected by the implementation of Republic Act (Rice Tariffication Law) that resulted to low price of palay in the country.

The fund for the dole out, said Franco, came from the excess collection on rice tariff worth PhP83 billion.

Franco told the farmers-beneficiaries to use the amount to buy agricultural inputs and not utilize it for vices.

John Paticawen, a resident of Barangay Bulanao Norte and has been a farmer for 60 years, thanked the DA for the financial help, which he said will be used to purchase fertilizers for his rice farm.

Meanwhile, the Office for City Agricultural Services (OFCAS) is encouraging farmers to register with the RSBSA in order to take advantage of the national government’s DA programs and services.