CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that P511 million have been allotted for cash assistance from the total allocated fund of P1.2 billion for different interventions for the agri-fishery sector in the Mimaropa or Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan region.
DEPARTMENT of Agriculture-Mimaropa Regional Technical Director for Research and Regulations Celso Olido, Regional Executive Director Christopher Bañas, and Regional Technical Director for Operations Vener Dilig grace a recent Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas press conference in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro where they discussed the agency’s programs and services in the region. (Photo courtesy of Denice Benosa/DA-MIMAROPA)
Christopher Banas, regional executive director of DA-Mimaropa, said these interventions designed to provide comprehensive support were cash assistance, fuel assistance, buffer stocks of palay, corn, and vegetable seeds, production and post-harvest facilities, farm machinery, indemnification insurance, loan funds, irrigation support, composting facilities, coconut seedlings, and fishing equipment.
Banas said the assistance is intended for more than 100,000 small farmers under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance program.
The program is specifically designed to provide immediate relief such as P5,000 cash assistance per farmer with a rice farm of two hectares and below.
In a recent Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas hosted by the Philippine Information Agency here, Bañas announced that aside from the P1.2 billion allocated to address the El Niño phenomenon in the region, P10.41 million worth of various assistance were distributed during the Serbisyo Fair in Calapan City in April for more than 7,000 farmers.
A DA statement said that during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s visit to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on April 23, P727 million worth of interventions were awarded.
“These consist of the assistance from our attached agencies, like the ACPC (Agriculture Credit Policy Council), PCA (Philippine Coconut Authority), PCIC (Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.), NIA (National Irrigation Administration), and PhilMech (Philippine Postharvest Development and Mechanization),” Banas told Mindoro-based media practitioners during the Kapihan.