DA-7: Rice farmers in Central Visayas may not qualify for P5K cash aid

A farmer checks on his rice plants in his farm in Cebu in this 2018 photo. | CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Rice farmers in Central Visayas may not be qualified to receive the P5,000 financial assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The cash assistance was intended for small rice farmers, who were mostly affected by the initial impact of the Rice Tariffication Law.

Dr. Gerry Avila, supervising chief engineer for the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) of DA-7, told CDN Digital that their central office had set the criteria for farmers to avail the assistance.

“Their farm size should only range from one-half hectare to two hectares for them to qualify,” Avila said.

Read more: Gov’t urged: Ease Rice Tariffication Law’s effects on farmers with programs to boost rice production

Aside from this, they should have been affected with the impact of the Rice Tariffication Law which is the sudden drop of the price of palay due to the liberalization of rice imports by private rice traders.

“Some areas in Luzon have experienced selling their palay for only P9 per kilo. But here in Central Visayas, the price of palay remained high,” he said.

For instance, in Bohol, dry palays are sold at P19-P20 per kilo while fresh palays are sold at P16-P17 per kilo.

In Negros Oriental, dry palays are also sold at P18-P19 per kilo while fresh palays are sold at P15-P16 per kilo.

Avila, however, said that they would wait for the advisory from their central office on the matter.

He also said that they already sent to their central office the list of the rice farmers here in Central Visayas.

Based on their Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), Avila said that Central Visayas had around 1.5 million farmers where almost half of which are rice farmers.

He said that Central Visayas had more than 30,000 hectares of rice farms./dbs