The Department of Agriculture (DA) has expedited the release of fuel subsidies and other interventions for local farmers and fishermen to alleviate the severe effects of the Middle East crisis and the continuous rise in petroleum prices.
In a press briefing in Manila, DA Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Arnel De Mesa emphasized the importance of these measures to protect both producers and consumers from increasing costs of fertilizer and freight or transportation of agricultural products. The action is a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
To maintain the flow of food supply, the agency also deployed up to 38 Kadiwa trucks to the province of Benguet. This aims to directly purchase harvested vegetables from farmers after many traders were forced to stop or reduce trips due to expensive crude oil.
The official also highlighted the significant savings from the removal of toll fees. From the previous rebate system, toll-free passage is now implemented for accredited DA truckers on major expressways such as SLEX, NLEX, and SCTEX.
