To help rebuild their livelihood, farmers and fishermen in regions placed under a "state of calamity" due to typhoon "Odette" may now borrow up to P25,000 from the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The DA's Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) announced Thursday, Dec. 23, that it has allocated P500 million credit fund to implement its Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program.
"The loan may be used to provide immediate relief from the effects of the calamity and for rehabilitating the farming or fishing activities of the affected small farm or fishing household including the purchase of production inputs, repair of farm or fishery assets, and acquisition of livestock or work animals," the DA said in a statement.
Under the SURE program, farmers and fishermen will be allowed to borrow up to P25,000 which they can pay up to three years with no interest and no collateral, the DA said.
Borrowers should be residing in regions that were placed by President Duterte under a state of calamity including Mimaropa (Region 4B), Western Visayas (Region 6), Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Northern Mindanao (Region 10), and Caraga (Region 13).
However, only one borrower is allowed per household, the DA noted.
The DA said that its regional field offices and the municipal agriculture offices will be responsible in the identification of eligible small farmers and fisherfolk borrowers who must be enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), an electronic database of basic information on farmers, farm laborers, and fishers.
The DA advised interested borrowers to coordinate with their local municipal agriculture offices for further details on how they can avail of the program.