THE financial assistance being given to farmers under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will continue.

This was the assurance made by Kristine Y. Evangelista, Undersecretary-designate for Consumer and Political Affairs and spokesperson, saying that the financial and technical assistance to be extended to the farmers is intended for the next planting season to ensure an increase in the production of local agricultural commodities.

Evangelista said that the move is part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s agricultural plan, which focuses on increasing production while bringing down fertilizer prices and other farm inputs.

The new administration will also focus on food mobilization to ensure that consumers can access quality food items at “affordable prices”.

Evangelista disclosed that the financial assistance will be coursed through credit facilities managed by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) of DA (Department of Agriculture).

“Financial assistance is available. It is just a matter of applying, whether as an individual farmer or a cooperative. As of now, we are really pushing for clustering and ‘cooperativism’. Doon talaga ang ating direksyon,” Evangelista said.

She added that they will coordinate with the DA’s Regional Field Offices to guide farmers on how they can avail of the credit programs.

“We encourage farmers to register under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), so they can avail of the many interventions and support from the government,” she explained.

In terms of fertilizer, Evangelista stressed that the DA’s National Rice Program (NRP) continues to provide aid to farmers, especially now that prices of farm inputs persist soaring.

“Tuloy-tuloy ang ating pakikipag-usap and sourcing sa mas murang fertilizer, which is very important para hindi nagtitipid ang ating mga farmers,” Evangelista said.

“Together with the NRP, tinitingnan namin yung tamang schedule ng paglalagay ng pataba. May mga binibilang tayong mga araw, from the time na nagtanim at how many days dapat maglagay ng fertilizer. These are the things we are looking into,” she said.

She added that NRP is fast-tracking the arrival of cheaper fertilizers in time for the next planting season in October.

Evangelista said that the DA is looking into a possible government-to-government (G2G) agreement and has started initial discussions with China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates to procure cheaper fertilizer.

“Tinitingnan natin kung saan maganda ang presyo at iyong proximity ng panggagalingan ng abono. Logistics are very important now. Kahit na mura, kung masyado namang malayo, pagdating dito sa atin ay mahal na rin ang mga iyan. May mga tinitingan tayo na strategic sources for fertilizers,” Evangelista explained.

She added that the storage and distribution process of fertilizer, including the capability of DA, are being considered.

“We are currently conducting a national inventory of our facilities that we will maximize not only for fertilizer storage but for food mobilization as well,” she said.

Evangelista further stressed that the DA will always consider the suggestions and recommendations of the industry stakeholders.

For sugar, Evangelista disclosed that the DA and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) are set to meet with the sugar stakeholders this week to discuss immediate interventions to address the weak sugar supply for industrial and household uses, and the possible implementation of a “Suggested Retail Price” or SRP for sugar.