President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., announced during an official visit to the city on Oct. 6, that about
10,000 rice farmers in the province are set to receive financial assistance this year from the
Department of Agriculture under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.
The President, who led the distribution of rice assistance to 1,000 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in the Capiz Gym, added that he has directed the DA and the Department
of Finance to speed up the distribution of the benefits for the farmers.
Aside from the rice assistance, the President also led the distribution of about P70-million worth of
social services packages from the DA, Department of Labor and Employment, Philippine Crop
Insurance Corporation, Agricultural Training Institute, Philippine Coconut Authority, Department of
Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority, and Commission on Higher Education.
“Dagdag po rito marami rin pong maliliit na magsasaka ang matutulungan ng Rice Competitive
Enhancement Fund sa pamamagitan ng mga makinarya, mga punla, pagsasanay at seminar at
pagpapahiram ng puhunan para sa kanila,” the President said,
“Umpisa pa lang ito sa mga hakbangin ng gobyerno upang mapaunlad ang buhay ng mga Pilipino mula
sa pagpapalakas ng agrikultura ng bansa at pagpapalawig ng mga benepisyong handog ng iba pang
mga sektor,” he added.
Last September, the President approved and ordered the release of P12.7-billion for the RFFA
program of the administration in a bid to help small rice farmers sustain their productivity amid some
agricultural challenges in the country.
Under the RFFA, the government has identified about 2.3 million small rice farmer beneficiaries of
P5,000 each in financial assistance from the the excess tariff collection from rice importations in 2022,
amounting to around P12.7 billion, who are registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in
Agriculture (RSBSA) as of June 30, 2023.
The RFFA beneficiaries include those in the farm cooperatives associations (FCAs), irrigators
associations (IAs), agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs), small water impounding
systems associations (SWISAs), and other farm groups.
The RFFA is an unconditional financial assistance for farmers tilling below two hectares of land as
mandated under Republic Act (RA) No. 11598, or the Cash Assistance to Filipino Farmers Act of 2021.
