AID TO FARMERS. Farmer beneficiaries of the Department of Agriculture-Expanded Survival and Recovery Assistance Program for Rice Farmers from North Cotabato queue to receive their loan assistance from the government on Monday (Feb. 3, 2020) in Midsayap, North Cotabato. Beneficiaries consider the loan assistance as “blessing” that came at the time they needed it most when prices of palay had been dropping low. (Photo courtesy of North Cotabato PIO)
COTABATO CITY -- Some 3,700 rice farmers in North Cotabato have received loan assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Expanded Survival and Recovery Assistance Program for Rice Farmers (SURE Aid) program.
Milagros Casis, DA-12 executive director, led the distribution and awarded the cash cards to some rice farmer-borrowers during ceremonies on Monday at the Midsayap municipal gymnasium.
Also present were representatives from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). Of the 3,702 recipients, the town of Midsayap has the highest number of farmer-beneficiaries at 969 followed by Pigcawayan with 690 farmers, Alamada (455), M’lang (432), Banisilan (377), Carmen (330), Aleosan (299), and Libungan (150).
Farmer-borrower Musa Pagilidan of Barangay Upper Labas, Midsayap was so elated and expressed his gratitude to God for guiding the DA in coming up with this program.
“This is a blessing from God through the government, I will use this blessing to procure seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides and for other needs in the upcoming cropping season,” Pagilidan said in the vernacular.
In addition, farmer Rolando Getueban of Barangay Barangiran, Alamada said the SURE Aid program is an intervention that land cultivators really need.
“We appreciate this gesture from the government. The amount is just enough,” he said.
A female rice farmer, Josephine M. Morong of Barangay Dugong, M’lang thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for recognizing them as the country’s key food producers.
“We were affected by the low buying price of our palay, this SURE Aid will help us finance our farming. Salamat kay (Thanks to) President Duterte,” Morong said. Some of the farmer-borrowers came from the municipalities of Pikit, Makilala, Kabacan, and Antipas.
Casis said this month’s recipients form part of the 20,103 beneficiaries allotted for Region 12.
Later this month, she said LBP representatives are set to go to each of the municipalities in the province for a series of distribution of cash cards.
SURE Aid aims to assist rice farmers whose incomes were affected by the drop in the farm gate price of palay. It provides one-time loan assistance of PHP15,000 to rice farmers who are farming not more than one hectare. It is payable in eight years at zero percent interest rate.
Casis encouraged farmers to register in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture to avail of DA’s programs and interventions. (PNA)
