SOLSONA — In a significant development aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to pilot a new monitoring system for rice farmers in Solsona, Ilocos Norte. Approximately 3,000 farmers will be the first to use the Interventions Monitoring Card (IMC) starting November, to coincide with the dry cropping season.
According to Philippines News Agency, Lea Coloma, DA Ilocos Region Rice Farmer Financial Assistance (RFFA) focal person, outlined the utility of the new IMC during a phone interview on Wednesday. The card will facilitate the distribution of financial assistance and inputs such as seeds and fertilizers through a QR code system. Farmers, by presenting this code, can easily obtain their supplies from accredited merchants.
Coloma explained that the eligible farmers for this pilot program are those registered under the registry system for basic sectors in agriculture (RSBSA) with no pending transactions. The targeted land for the pilot encompasses approximately 4,000 hectares dedicated to rice cultivation in Solsona. The IMC will also streamline all agricultural interventions, making the process more efficient for farmers.
The funding for the RFFA program, which includes subsidies for seeds and fertilizers, comes from the excess tariff collections on rice importation. Registered farmers will receive PHP5,000 per hectare for seeds and PHP3,400 per hectare for fertilizers. Additionally, farmers part of a cluster or cooperative can claim subsidies for their total registered land area, while those outside such groups are capped at five hectares.
Coloma also highlighted that some farmers have yet to claim their assistance allocated since January, urging them to do so by the end of September to prevent the reversion of funds to the DA.