Farmer fuel subsidy gets P25-million funding boost

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday announced that it obtained an additional P25 million in funding for farmer fuel subsidies.

DA Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns and Official Development Assistance Arnel V. De Mesa told reporters that the supplementary funding came on the back of a Special Allotment Release Order, with the cash expected to be released within the month.

The subsidy program provides each farmer with P5,000 in cash.

He said the DA had originally sought an additional P30 billion for fuel subsidies as prices for petroleum and fertilizer rose sharply due to the fighting in the Middle East, but congressional hearings for these requests were delayed.

“It is important for it to be released because right now, farmers need fuel subsidies since the period of land preparation and crop establishment had begun, where a lot of machinery will be needed, so that’s important,” Mr. De Mesa told reporters.

Mr. De Mesa said farmers eligible for the subsidy must be enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture and must either own or rent farm machinery to avail of the fuel subsidy. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza