The government gave roughly P15,031 each to 65 farmers in the Zamboanga peninsula region this year, state media reported.

The Philippine News Agency (PNA) quoted the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as having provided P977,000 in calamity assistance to the farmers in Region 9. The region consists of three provinces, namely, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay.

The report quoted DAR Regional Director Julita Ragandang as saying the farmer beneficiaries have suffered farm losses to floods brought about by inclement weather and storms.

The news report on the PNA web site on Tuesday neither identified the source of the cash nor the farmer beneficiaries.

But the report further quoted Ragandang as saying that the calamity-assistance program is being implemented in coordination with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., which provides insurance to farmers covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

The report further quoted Ragandang as saying the amounts allocated to the farmer-beneficiaries were intended to help them defray expenses in the rehabilitation of their damaged farms.

The amount given to farmer-beneficiaries depended on the actual damages they incurred, the report said.

Ragandang was quoted as saying that the financial assistance was handed out to farmers “on varied occasions” in November and the third week of December.

Source - http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/