More than 4 million farmers and fisherfolk nationwide are set to receive cash assistance from the government, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said, as part of efforts to ease the impact of rising fuel costs and production expenses.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told reporters that the government will roll out the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk program shortly after Holy Week, with distribution expected to begin around April 6 or 7.
The program will benefit roughly 4.1 million individuals, each receiving about ₱2,350. The assistance is sourced from a ₱10-billion fund allocated to support the agriculture sector.
“We have the presidential assistance for farmers and fisher folks that we will be rolling out after the Holy Week, April 6 or 7. That will be about 2,350 pesos per beneficiary. That's a total of about 4.1 million farmers and fisher folks,” Laurel said, noting that the amount per beneficiary is limited due to the size of the fund.
Separately, the DA is preparing to release fuel subsidies for a smaller group of beneficiaries before the end of March. The fuel subsidy program has a budget of about ₱100 million and is expected to cover around 25,000 fisherfolk and 20,000 farmers.
Laurel explained that the fuel subsidy is intended specifically for those using motorized equipment. Fisherfolk beneficiaries must have motorized boats, while farmers must own or operate machinery such as tractors, irrigation pumps, or motorized hand tractors.
“Sa fisherfolk, kailangan may motorized bangka sila eh… Sa farmers naman, kung may traktora or diesel engine may pump, o kaya hand tractor motorized, Yun sila lang.”
Only those with registered equipment will qualify for the fuel subsidy, ensuring the funds are used for their intended purpose.
“Yung mga walang registered na gamit, hindi sila makakuha nun.”
The DA chief added that additional funding could be tapped if a state of emergency is declared in response to rising fuel prices. In that case, up to ₱1 billion could be drawn from the government’s quick response funds to further support the sector.
