Rice seeds, farm inputs, biofertilizer discount vouchers to benefit over 137K farmers in Caraga, says DA
The region has a total allotment for the three programs costing P525 million. Of this, P370 million is allocated to the FDV, which can cover 108,000 hectares (ha) of rice area. P80 million is allocated to the SDV, covering 16,000 ha, and the remaining P75 million is for the BFDV, covering 50,000 ha.
Sixty percent of the total budget for the year is allocated to the wet cropping season, with distribution that started in May and is set to end in August. The remaining 40 percent will cover the dry cropping season, with a distribution target from October to December this year.
The FDV allows beneficiaries to get a voucher worth P3,400/ha, with a maximum coverage of five ha per farmer. Meanwhile, the SDV is valued at P5,000/ha. Farmers belonging to a non-clustered group can avail a maximum coverage of five ha, while those in a clustered group can avail up to 10 ha. For the BFDV, one hectare is valued at P1,500 with a maximum coverage of five ha per beneficiary.
In Butuan City, a distribution was conducted on June 4-6 for the 35 rice-producing barangays in Butuan at Barangay Lemon, Butuan City. Around 2,000 rice farmers received the support on the first day of distribution.
One of the beneficiaries, Kristian Al Pelenio, the first to receive the interventions, mentioned that this was his third time to benefit from the intervention since its launch in 2022.
"I’ve been a farmer for nine years. These interventions are a big help to us, farmers, as we can augment our fertilizer needs for our rice fields," Pelenio said.
The distributions in other provinces were conducted simultaneously. In Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, a total of 901 farmers received FDV and BFDV.
Veronica Enero, a rice farmer from Abilan, Buenavista, expressed her gratitude for sustaining the program saying, "I hope that this intervention will not end because it really helps us a lot. No one else gives us free fertilizers but the DA. This is really helpful for us.”
To qualify for the free interventions from the DA Caraga, farmers must be enrolled and listed in the DA Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA). (Kent Warren H. Fugoso, DA-RAFIS/PIA-Caraga)
