(Gov. Susan Yap with Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar while having a conversation after the launching of the SURE-Aid Program of the Department of Agriculture in Zaragoza, Nueva, Ecija. Contributed photo)
GOVERNOR Susan Yap received a total of P72,285,000 from the Department of Agriculture’s Survival and Recovery Assistance for Rice Farmers [SURE-Aid] program during a ceremony held at the municipality of Zaragoza in Nueva Ecija.
The financial assistance was handed to Yap by DA Secretary William Dar and Land Bank President Cecille Borromeo during the program’s launching on September 2.
SURE-Aid is an interest- free loan program for rice farmers organized by the DA-Agriculture and Credit Policy Council and Land Bank of the Philippines, provides rice farmers loan opportunities through a simplified application process.
“We have simplified the loan application,” Dar said adding that, “As long as the farmer is registered, all recommendations are in place and approval has been secured, the loaned cash will be released in three-hour time.”
The loan program is the DA’s way of helping rice farmers who are suffering from the flooding of rice imports as a result of the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law which forced the plunging of palay’s selling price to P7 per kilogram from the previous P21 per kilogram.
Dar said the loan program covers farmers tilling farmland one hectare and below.
Qualified applicants may avail of P15,000 cash assistance payable in eight years with no interest and no collateral needed.
Dar assured that while the SURE Aid provides only a short-term solution, the DA is confident that the farm gate price will return to its reasonable amount during normal harvest time.
Yap for her part thanked the DA for the program that will surely benefit Tarlac rice farmers.
“The SURE-Aid program will benefit close to 5,000 Tarlaqueño farmers who can avail of the P15,000 per farmer tilling one hectare and below farm lot at zero interest with the National Food Authority buying their produce,” Yap said.
The lady Governor was accompanied by Tarlac Provincial Agriculturist Alice Cruz and Tralac Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Lorna Baculanta during the launching.
