More than 1,500 rice farmers in Northern Samar are now better equipped for the new cropping season after receiving financial aid under the RFFA program, a move local officials say is key to sustaining the province’s food security.
Through a joint effort by the DA-RFO 8 and local LGUs, the cash aid tackles the rising prices of farm inputs like fertilizer and fuel. The assistance serves as vital capital for smallholder farmers, ensuring more stable incomes during the upcoming planting cycle.
The assistance covered farmers from both mainland and island municipalities, ensuring broad access to government support even in geographically challenged areas.
“𝐷𝑎𝑘𝑜 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑘𝑢𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑎 𝑛𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑎𝑝𝑖 𝑎𝑘 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑖 𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑘𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑜𝑑 𝑠𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑢𝑟𝑖 𝑚𝑎𝑛, 𝑑𝑎𝑘𝑜 𝑛𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑖 𝑠𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑎 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜,” said Jacquelyn Dela Cruz, a 35-year-old rice farmer from Catarman.
[I am very grateful to have received this assistance because given our difficult situation, this is a great help to us from the government.]
Dela Cruz also said that the RFFA distribution came at a crucial time when farmers prepare their fields for the next cropping cycle, easing the pressure from farm expenses.
“𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑔 𝑠𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑢𝑟𝑖 𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑑 𝑠𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟. 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑖 𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑎𝑘𝑢𝑘𝑢ℎ𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑠𝑎𝑛 𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑖 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖 𝑔𝑎ℎ𝑖 𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑖𝑛-𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑛. 𝐷𝑎𝑘𝑜 𝑛𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑖 𝑛𝑎 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑔 𝑠𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛,” Dela Cruz added.
[This is a big help for us farmers. Not only the cash assistance that we received from the government but also the seeds that we use for planting. This is a great leverage for us]
The RFFA program is part of broader efforts to support rice farmers affected by market fluctuations and production challenges. Beneficiaries were identified through validated farmer registries to ensure that assistance reached eligible small-scale rice producers.
The DA RFO8 expressed hope that continued implementation of support programs like the RCEF-RFFA could boost rice productivity in Northern Samar, where many farmers remain vulnerable to climate risks and economic uncertainty.
