By TED CORDERO, GMA Integrated News

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Friday that an estimated 2.38 million rice farmers have started receiving P5,000 each in cash aid from the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.

The RFFA program is an unconditional financial assistance for small rice farmers tilling below two hectares. 

The cash grant is mandated under Republic Act (RA) No. 11598, or the Cash Assistance to Filipino Farmers Act of 2021, and overseen by the Department of Agriculture.

The program is funded through the excess tariff collection from rice importations in 2022, totaling P12.7 billion.

To recall, in September, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the release of P12.7 billion in excess tariff collections to bankroll the RFFA program.

As of December 28, the DA said 458,435 farmers’ accounts have been credited with the cash aid.

Meanwhile, the agency said 44,719 farmers have withdrawn their cash through the efforts of the Development Bank of the Philippines and remittance giant USSC, a BSP-licensed e-money issuer.

The small rice farmers can use the cash they receive for daily subsistence and personal needs, said Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian. –VAL, GMA Integrated News

Published Date: December 29, 2023