TAYUM, Abra (PIA) –- The Department of Agriculture (DA) highlighted the celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month through a cash distribution  to  more than 1,400 rice farmers  in the province.
  
The event was led by  Agriculture Program Coordinating Officer (APCO) Dr. Rosemarie Tesoro with the Local Government Unit of Tayum led by Mayor Glend Eduarte.
 
This cash assistance distribution is under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) program, where identified beneficiaries receive P5,000 cash each.

The pilot area of cash distribution  was at the  Tayum municipal town plaza  catering to the rice farmers of this town  as well as from  neighboring municipalities.

 Qualified beneficiaries are rice farmers with two hectares and below of farmlands and registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors of Agriculture (RSBSA).
 
In his message, Sangguniang Panlalawigan  Committee on  Agriculture Chairperson Victorino Baroña Jr. reminded the  farmers the importance of rice as staple food of Filipinos in order to ensure food supply and combat hunger and malnutrition.
 
“We are fortunate today because we celebrate  Rice Awareness Month which encourages and inspires all of us, farmers, through these incentives from the national government, ” Baroña stressed.

Beneficiary Danilo Peralta, said that he will use the cash to buy additional fertilizer and other needed equipment.
 
“Maraming salamat kay President BBM sa tulong na ito sa akin. Magagamit koi to sa mga kailangan kong kagamitan sa patuloy na produksyon ng bigas,” he said.
 
The National Rice Awareness Month is  anchored on the campaign “Be RICEponsible” which aims to encourage farmers, local officials and the public to be responsible in consuming rice while aiding in the betterment of rice industry. JDP/CAGT – PIA CAR, Abra)