SEEDS TO RECOVERY. A total of 117 farmers in Tarlac City whose crops were adversely affected by Typhoon Egay receive inbred rice seeds on Wednesday (Aug. 16, 2023) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund program. Some 285 sacks of inbred seeds were provided in a bid to help farmers recover from the losses due to weather disturbances. (Photo courtesy of Tarlac City government)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The city government of Tarlac has distributed inbred seeds to farmers affected by Typhoon Egay.
City Agriculturist Norma P. Tongol said on Thursday that 285 sacks of inbred seeds were provided Wednesday under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to 117 farmers whose palay crops were destroyed by Typhoon Egay and enhanced southwest monsoon rains last month.
Tongol said the city government headed by Mayor Cristy Angeles immediately acted to help farmers recover from their losses due to the weather disturbances.
“Malubha ang pinsala na naidulot ng Bagyong Egay sa mga bagong pananim at mga tanim na handa nang anihin ng mga farmers sa lungsod (Typhoon Egay caused severe damage to new crops and some crops that are ready for harvest by the farmers in the city),” she said in a radio interview.
Aside from inbred seeds, Tongol said some 735 rice farmers in the city also received cash assistance under the Department of Agriculture's (DA) Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) program last Aug. 10.
Under the program, rice farmers who are registered under the Registry Systems for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and tilling land measuring two hectares and below will receive unconditional cash assistance of PHP5,000.
“The cash subsidy is part of the DA’s initiatives to help ease small holder RSBSA-registered rice farmers from the financial burden they are facing amid the drop on the price of palay, increase on the price of fertilizers and damage to their crops due to calamities),” Tongol added.
She encouraged farmers to coordinate with the City Agriculture Office and register with the RSBSA so they could easily avail of government assistance.
Tongol said those registered in the electronic database of government agencies are given priority in the targeting and implementation of any agriculture-related assistance program of the government. (PNA)
