ZAMBOANGA CITY, Dec 31 (PIA) – Rice farmers of Zamboanga Peninsula region have benefited from the rice program of the Department of Agriculture with a total project cost of P345,667,530.

The Department of Agriculture Region IX (DA9) have launched recently the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) Program in Zamboanga City, providing P5,000 cash assistance to each eligible rice farmer in the city.

The financial assistance is set to be distributed to a total of P68,179 rice farmers in the entire Region 9, where 24,998 farmers from Zamboanga del Sur are to receive P126,739,860; 31,585 farmers from Zamboanga del Norte with P160,135,950; 11,396 farmers from Zamboanga Sibugay with P57,777,720; and 200 farmers in Zamboanga City receiving P1,014,000.

The RCEF will provide a direct, secure, and unconditional cash assistance to eligible rice farmers to support them in their rice production especially those who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural calamities, and other crises.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar expressed his gratitude and support to the rice farmers of Zamboanga City for working hard and serving as heroes of the nation in food production.

"This (RCEF-RFFA) is what I call a 'regional roll-out' with Zamboanga Peninsula being the 13th region to benefit. This also sends the signal that we are now starting to give the financial assistance to the rice farmers here in Region 9," said Secretary Dar.

The Agriculture Chief also pointed out the positive outcomes of the implementation of the Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) since it took effect last February 2019.

Benefits such as the significant decrease in the price of the regular milled rice in the market, production cost of palay per kilo, rice seed utilization, and the increase in the yield of the farmers were all attributed to the RTL according to the Secretary.

Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco thanked the DA for its unwavering support to the farmers of Zamboanga City through the provision of farm inputs, equipment and machinery, and financial assistance.

"The feedback on the ground is that only in the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte under the leadership of Secretary Dar has our agricultural sector received a very huge support," said Mayor Climaco.

Moreover, DA9 Regional Executive Director Rad Donn Cedeño said that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources IX (BFAR 9) had also turned over two units 10m diameter Norweigan design circular cage and a unit of 1/4 hectare deep-sea seaweed nursery techno-demo to Aplaya Buenavista Fisherfolk Association, and awarded 2 Million pesos to the Municipality of Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur for winning the BFAR National Search for Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan (MMK). (NBE/RVC/PIA9 with reports from Darwin D. Reyes /DA-RFO IX, RAFIS)