THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has secured another P25 million in funds for farmers’ fuel subsidies, spokesperson Arnel de Mesa announced on Wednesday.
“This is in addition to the [P150 million] released earlier [by the Department of Budget and Management] for farmers and fisherfolk,” de Mesa noted, adding that the DBM could start processing the funds for release and distribution by the DA this month.
It is important for the fuel subsidy to be distributed immediately, since farmers are using machinery at this time of land preparation and crop establishment, de Mesa said.
The cash fuel assistance program sought to soften the impact of soaring fuel prices from the global oil crisis caused by the Middle East war.
Each farmer will receive P5,000 in fuel subsidies, with the additional funding expected to benefit 5,000 farmers nationwide.
To qualify for the subsidy, farmers should be registered in the DA's Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and own or rent farming machinery, regardless of the crops they plant.
The system would allow the government to focus on verified beneficiaries, as stipulated in the General Appropriations Act, said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.
Some P10 billion from the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk had been released, de Mesa said.
