Due to the huge damage to agriculture, estimated to reach more than P600 million, by tropical storm Maring that battered some areas of the country, Sen. Cynthia A. Villar cited the urgent need of cash aid to Filipino farmers there.
Based on the latest data from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Maring affected 29,063 farmers and fishers, with a volume of production loss at 36,354 metric tons (MT).
The storm also damaged 32,882 hectares of agricultural areas in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas. Villar also noted that low palay prices and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic saw the need to provide financial aid to farmers whose lives and income were severely affected by these challenges.
The Cash Assistance to Filipino Rice Farmers Act of 2020 that would benefit over 1.673 million small rice farmers is still awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Villar, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee, moved to institutionalize giving to rice farmers the excess collections from the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) collection of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“The Cash Assistance for Filipino Rice Farmers Act of 2020 recommends that any amount in excess of the P10-B RCEF collection by the BOC shall automatically be given as cash assistance to rice farmers who are tilling 2 hectares or less of rice land, which is estimated at 1.673 million as listed in the Registry System of Basic Sectors (RSBS),” said Villar.
This financial subsidy to farmers, Villar noted, is pursuant to the mandate of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law.
Villar said Filipino rice farmers are facing the many challenges brought about by the liberalization of rice importation in 2019, the series of destructive typhoons that hit their farms, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I strongly believe that our farmers need more support and assistance to cope up with the several challenges, especially now that we are in a pandemic, and their health is also at risk,” she said.
