As a result of President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration that the whole country will be under a State of Calamity for a period of six (6) months due to the rising cases of COVID-19 and due to the enhanced community quarantine imposed throughout Luzon, the income of many of our cut flower farmers from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were affected as they were unable to transport and sell their products.

To help our cut flower farmers from CAR, the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), will implement the Survival and Recovery Assistance Program or SURE Program for small cut flower growers affected by the marketing restrictions during the quarantine period.

Under the SURE Program, each small cut flower borrower will be able to borrow P25,000 which can be used to at least cover their overhead cost during the lockdown period. They may also use their loan to engage in other income-generating activities to offset or compensate for their losses.

The said P25,000 loan is zero interest, requires no collateral, and is payable in three years or more, depending on the borrower’s capacity to pay.

The ACPC has already downloaded an initial P20 million to the Producers Savings Bank Corporation (PSBC), which will serve as the lending conduit for the implementation of the SURE program for small cut flower farmers from CAR.

The ACPC is currently working with the DA Regional Office – Cordillera Administrative Region and concerned local government units to fast track the identification and validation of eligible borrowers.

Based on data we have gathered, about 53 million dozen of cut flowers are being produced annually worth P28 million, from more than 1,500 hectares of cut flower farms in CAR. Most of our cut flower farmers come from the Municipalities of Atok, Tublay, Kibungan, and La Trinidad.  

This is just one of the initiatives of the DA to support our farmers and fisherfolk especially in this time of crisis. Rest assured that the DA, together with its attached agencies and bureaus, is always here to serve and advocate the welfare of our farmers and fisherfolk.

For inquiries, you may contact the following ACPC personnel:

Noel Clarence Ducusin – 0908-816-6221

Jemrick Ramos – 0939-601-2988

(DA-ACPC Communications & Public Affairs Division)