A huge sum of cash in the amount of P385.2 million was given to some 58, 684 rice farmers in Eastern Visayas, incidentally just in time the kick off of campaign for national positions in the forthcoming May 2022 elections.
While the intention might be well-meaning, the timing was inviting speculations that it could be political in nature.
The Department of Agriculture (lead agency) explained that the purpose of the assistance is really but to ease the farmers of burden caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
A statement by Rodel Macapañas, assistant chief of DA’s regional planning, monitoring and evaluation division said in an interview last week that rice farmers in the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, and Eastern Samar have already received the aid.
To date, distribution of cash aid is ongoing in Samar and Northern Samar provinces.
The target, according to Macapañas, is to complete the release of cash aid to 58,684 rice farmers in the region within the year under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) Program. The disbursement started in November last year.
“While we encourage farmers to use the money for farming purposes, we don’t set conditions on how they would spend the money. The objective is to unburden our rice farmers from present economic challenges.”
Under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), the RFFA provides PHP5,000 cash assistance to small rice farmers that cultivate land not exceeding two hectares. A beneficiary should be registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.
The amount is being sourced out from the accumulated excess tariff in 2019 and 2020 under the Rice Tariffication Law amounting to PHP7.6 billion.
The tariff automatically appropriates PHP5 billion for the provision of farm machinery and equipment, PHP3 billion for certified inbred seeds, PHP1 billion for credit, and PHP1 billion for training and extension, or a total of PHP10 billion.
The benefit has been distributed through the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of announced. These banks may utilize conduits, particularly countryside financial institutions, cooperatives, accredited remittance centers, rural banks, and other conduits that the DA and the government banks may agree upon.
The Rice Tariffication Law approved in February 2019 removed quantitative restrictions on rice imports and replaced them with a 35 percent import tariff. (With reports from PNA)