SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – The Department of Agriculture said 329,462 rice farmers in Region 1 (Ilocos) will receive financial aid through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) Program.
The DA-Regional Field Office 1 said beneficiaries are enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) as of June 30, 2023, and tilling two hectares and below of land.
They will get P5,000 cash aid each and the DA-RFO 1 is targeting to distribute over P1.6 billion in RFFA assistance in the first quarter of the year.
DA-RFO 1 Rice Banner Program Focal Person Leah Coloma said 138,305 beneficiaries are from Pangasinan, 75,963 from Ilocos Sur, 61,691 from Ilocos Norte, and 53,503 from La Union.
She said the RFFA aims to help farmers cope with the high cost of farm inputs and increase crop productivity.
The RFFA is an unconditional financial aid to farmers guaranteed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and funded by excess tariff collection from rice imports worth P12 billion.