SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union -- Some 1,329 corn farmer-beneficiaries from various municipalities in Pangasinan each received P3,000 worth of fuel discount cards, totaling P3,987,000 under the Department of Agriculture fuel discount program.
Atty. Jennilyn Dawayan, regional executive director of DA-Region 1, said the program aims to cushion the impact of the price of oil and at the same time maximize the use and utilization of their farm machineries and mechanical equipment in their farm operations.
She said fuel subsidy would somehow lessen the burden of the corn farmers in their farm enterprise as it would lower the cost of their production, thereby increasing their income.
Dawayan said that on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 725 corn farmers from the towns of Tayug, Natividad, Rosales, San Manuel, San Quintin, and San Nicolas received their fuel discount cards while 604 corn farmers from Binalonan, Manaoag, Sison, and San Jacinto got theirs on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
The rollout of the fuel discount cards was held at the Tayug National High School in Tayug, Pangasinan and at Don Ramon J. Guico Sr. Sport and Civic Center, Binalonan, Pangasinan.
Christian Arellano, a farmer from San Manuel, said that the fuel discount program will assist him in covering his farming expenses, particularly in the purchase of fuel for his farm machinery.
Another corn farmer from Rosales, Myrna Raquedan, cited that this program is an opportunity to decrease her farm production costs.
"Malaking tulong po ito sa aming magsasaka kasi minsan nangungutang po kami para sa mga gagamitin, sa gasolina lalo na’t mataas ang presyo (This is a big help for us farmers because we sometimes borrow money for farm inputs and gasoline),” she said.
The distribution in Tayug was attended by 6th District Congresswoman Marlyn Primicias-Agabas, Tayug Mayor Tyrone Agabas, and the DA RFO1-Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) staff.
Also in attendance were the Municipal Agriculturists of Pangasinan, Local Government Unit staff, and registered farmers under the DA's fuel discount program.