DA disburses P12M in fuel subsidy to corn farmers, fishers

The Department of Agriculture has distributed P12 million of the P1.1-billion fuel subsidy for the corn farmers and fisherfolk nationwide to lessen the impact of a series of fuel price hikes on them, an official said Sunday.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes said that registered farmers under the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and fishermen under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will be given P3,000 fuel subsidy.

“Ang priority muna ‘yung mga nakalista na. So, we’re still encouraging others to have their names registered sa RSBSA. Patuloy naman po ‘yung registration dahil nakaka P12 million pa lang kami buong bansa,” he said.

(Our priority are those who were already registered. We’re still encouraging others to have their names registered in the RSBSA. The registration is ongoing because we have only distributed P12 million nationwide, so far.)

Reyes noted that the P1.1-billion allocation for this program is funded through the P500 million from the 2022 budget, and the remaining P600M from the recently-approved by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

He said that about 300,000 corn farmers and fisherfolk will benefit from this program.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has exempted the DA’s subsidy programs for eligible farmers and fisherfolk from the election spending ban, as confirmed by poll Commissioner George Garcia on Wednesday.

Asked if the allocation of this fuel subsidy will resume this month, Reyes said, “Oo, itong katapusan. Itong remaining days and towards the elections. Hanggang matapos, basically. Hanggang maibigay lahat.”

(Yes, the distribution will resume by the end of the month until we have distributed all the money.)

Aside from the fuel subsidy, Reyes said the DA also provides P5,000 aid under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance which was also exempted from the election spending ban. —LBG, GMA News