Filipino farmers will soon be receiving financial assistance after the two House Committees on Appropriations and Agriculture approved House Bill 8964 or the “Cash Assistance for Filipino Farmers Act of 2020,” in a joint hearing conducted on May 26.
Department of Agriculture (DA) expressed their support for the measure, which seeks to tap cash aid excess of Php10 billion — which was collected from tariffs on rice imports — as assistance to farmers owning one hectare or less of rice land until 2024.
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House Bill 8964 also allocates funds from the annual tariff revenues in excess of P10-billion, to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the Rice Tariffication Law.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan noted that the DA recommends increasing the coverage of the measure to include the maximum possible number of beneficiaries.
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Meanwhile, Mark Enverga, the Quezon 1st District Rep and chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, has proposed that assistance to farmers should be given to those who are “farming” two hectares of rice land until 2024.
The bill will be submitted to the full House for consideration and approval on the 2nd and 3rd reading. (AW)
