BUTUAN CITY -- Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar led the distribution of P303 million worth of agricultural interventions to farmers in Caraga Region on Tuesday, December 7, in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.
Secretary Dar personally handed over P5,000 each to the 1,844 rice farmer-beneficiaries in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur worth P9.22 Million as part of the total Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) for Caraga Region amounting to P225,397,000. The fund, which comes from the excess tariff of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), aims to provide cash assistance to smallholder RSBSA-registered rice farmers tilling two hectares and below.
On top of that, the DA chief also led the turnover of projects funded under the Bayanihan II such as the 14 units of recirculating dryers amounting to P37.3 million to local government units (LGU) in the region under the Enhanced Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita Inclusive Food Supply Chain Program.
The facility will be operated by the LGU’s through their identified Farmers Cooperative and Associations (FCAs) and aims to support rice farmers improve their capacity to dry their produce and facilitate marketing of farmers’ products to the National Food Authority and other buyers.
The LGUs set to receive the recirculating dryers are the Municipality of San Agustin, Marihatag, Lanuza, Madrid, Hinatuan, San Miguel, Tago, and Bislig City in the Province of Surigao del Sur. The Municipality of Prosperidad, Bunawan, Rosario, Talacogon, and San Francisco in the Province of Agusan del Sur and Cabadbaran City are also included to benefit the facility.
Financial grants to serve as working capital worth P9.7 million were also turned over to 15 FCAs. Still under the Enhanced Kadiwa Program, it aims to support farmers in their enterprise in making food available in their communities, especially during this pandemic. One LGU and three FCAs also received refrigerated vans totaling to P10.96 million. The said vans aim to help LGUs and farmers association improve their selling power by ensuring their fresh farm produce are transported to markets in the best of quality.
In addition, Kangyat Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a corn cluster organization in Talacogon, Agusan del Sur will gain more benefit from the commodity’s value chain through the P3 million worth recirculating dryer with generator set turned over by the DA’s Corn Program. The project aims to support the cooperative part of the Bayanihan Agri Clusters and improve their capacity to consolidate, process their produce, and market quality corn.
The DA-Philippine Rural Development Project under the Enterprise Component also turned over to CARCANMADCARLAN Agribased Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CAMPCO) in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur a total of P16.55 million for their bangus production and marketing project to alleviate and improve the standard of living of fisherfolk-beneficiaries.
Moreover, Secretary Dar also led the check distribution worth P848,535 to 174 coconut farmers in the region under the DA-Philippine Coconut Authority's various projects.
Secretary Dar was joined by DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Ricardo M. Oñate, Jr., Regional Technical Director for Operations Rebecca R. Atega, Regional Technical Director for Research, Regulations, and ILD Nicandro M. Navia, Jr., Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago B. Cane, and other government officials in the distribution of the various projects. (DA-Caraga/PIA Caraga)
