In a significant move to enhance rice production, the Department of Agriculture has rolled out a financial aid program worth over P309 million, targeting 44,161 farmers in Antique. The initiative, part of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA), began distributing funds on January 24, 2025, with each farmer receiving P7,000.
Sonie Guanco, head of the Antique Agricultural Program Coordinating Office, explained that the first batch of beneficiaries for 2024 started receiving their intervention monitoring cards (IMC) or ATM cards. These funds are intended to help farmers who cultivate rice on plots of two hectares or less, enabling them to purchase essential farming supplies like seeds, fertilizers, and insecticides, as well as pay for labor during the first cropping season.
A second batch of 6,222 farmers will soon receive their financial assistance. All beneficiaries are registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture. The funds are disbursed through the Development Bank of the Philippines, in partnership with the Universal Storefront Services Corporation (USSC). Farmers without IMC cards can claim their assistance directly at USSC branches located in Culasi and San Jose de Buenavista.