More than PHP17 million in agricultural assistance and interventions were provided to farmers across the region’s six provinces during Monday’s Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat caravan, the Department of Agriculture in Bicol (DA-5) reported Tuesday.
In an interview, DA-5 spokesperson Lovella Guarin said the simultaneous caravan offered agricultural services, livelihood support, farm inputs, and market assistance to farmers and other beneficiaries in Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
“Among the activities was the Kadiwa ng Pangulo in Albay, which featured more than 30 exhibitors offering fresh, affordable agricultural products directly from local farmers and producers,” she said.
The caravan also featured the Benteng Bigas program, under which 900 bags of National Food Authority (NFA) rice were sold to about 4,500 members of vulnerable sectors across the region.
The rice allocation included 50 bags each for Camarines Sur and Naga City, 100 bags for Camarines Norte, 150 bags for Albay, 250 bags for Sorsogon, 100 bags for Masbate, and 200 bags for Catanduanes.
Guarin added the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program (PAFFP) provided PHP2,325 in cash assistance to 755 registered farmers engaged in high-value crops and coconut production across Bicol.
The initial distribution totaled PHP1.755 million, with subsequent payouts expected to continue until the program reaches its target of engaging 35,552 farmers in high-value crops, coconut, and palay production on more than two hectares of farmland.
“The department also distributed 1,000 grafted pili seedlings, 500 bamboo seedlings to local government units, and 60 food production intervention packages containing garden and ‘pinakbet-type’ vegetable seeds,” she said.
DA-5 will also deliver hybrid seeds and foliar fertilizer starting next week, with Albay allocated 14,474 bags of hybrid seeds.
In Camarines Sur, the Bombon Iraya Farmers Agriculture Cooperative received a PHP2-million Kadiwa financial grant.
Under the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) Program, the Kilomaon Integrated Farmers Association of Sangay received a vacuum sealer and a forage chopper worth PHP4.3 million, and CVT Agri Resilient Farmers Inc. of Pamplona got a multi-commodity processing center worth PHP4.3 million.
About 500 farmers in Milaor also received 1,000 bags of certified palay seed under the rice program.
Eight municipal governments and the provincial government of Camarines Sur received 100 bags of yellow corn seed, 550 bags of inorganic fertilizer, 90 packs of biofertilizer, 30 bottles of pesticides, and 4,000 bags of soil ameliorants.
The DA said the Handog ng Pangulo caravan aims to bring government services and assistance closer to communities, particularly farmers and other sectors needing support for livelihoods and food production. (PNA)
