Santa josefa: A total of 1,100 farmers from Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur, and Butuan City have received their fuel discount cards during distribution activities conducted by the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) on Aug. 13 and 14.

According to Philippines News Agency, the agency reported on Friday that approximately PHP3.3 million in fuel subsidies were distributed to the beneficiaries, with each farmer receiving PHP3,000. The program is designed to alleviate the financial burden on farmers amid the rising cost of fuel, the DA-13 stated.

On Thursday, around 600 farmers from Santa Josefa received their fuel subsidy cards, usable for procuring fuel for farm machinery and equipment. In Butuan City, 500 farmers benefited from the program through a distribution activity held on Wednesday.

Jhoncell Perida, a farmer from Santa Josefa, was among the recipients of the discount card on Thursday. He expressed that the subsidy would help reduce farm expenses, especially fuel costs, as he already uses farm machinery for rice field preparation. He noted that the PHP3,000 subsidy is sufficient to purchase 32 liters of gasoline for his floating tiller during land preparations.

The DA-13 announced that more fuel card discount vouchers are planned for release to farmers across the region in the upcoming weeks.