Farmers to receive additional P50-M fuel aid

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it obtained an additional P50-million sub-allotment to provide fuel assistance to mechanized farmers affected by rising fuel prices.

In a statement on Sunday, the DA said the funds will benefit 9,570 farmers who rely on mechanized equipment, with each receiving P5,000 to help offset higher production and transport costs.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said in the statement that the assistance will be limited to farmers in the government’s Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.

“For oil-importing countries like the Philippines, the impact is immediate and broad-based — raising input costs for agriculture, increasing transport fares, and adding pressure on food inflation,” the DA said.

The DA said mechanized farmers are particularly vulnerable, as diesel accounts for a significant share of operating costs during the planting and harvest cycles.

Meanwhile, the DA said a separate fuel subsidy for fisherfolk is being disbursed.

Mr. Laurel said the DA is also exploring additional support for farmers and fisherfolk to address the broader impact of high fuel prices.

“We will continue to look for resources to extend greater assistance to our farmers and fisherfolk — our food producers who are among those most affected by this conflict that we are not part of,” he said.

The DA recently tapped the P10-billion standby fund supporting the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program to provide cash assistance to farmers and fisherfolk dealing with rising production costs.

According to Memorandum Circular No. 11, signed by Mr. Laurel on March 17, eligible rice, corn, and sugarcane farmers, as well as registered fisherfolk affected by the ongoing war in the Middle East, will receive P2,325 each. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel