At least 351 corn farmers and fisherfolk from this city and three towns of Agusan del Sur benefited from the fuel subsidy program launched by the regional agriculture office here Tuesday.

In a statement, the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) said that apart from farmer-beneficiaries in this city, fuel discount cards were also distributed to the municipalities of Nasipit, Carmen, and Buenavista in Agusan del Norte.

The program intends to aid the corn farmers and fisherfolk who own and operate agricultural and fishing machinery to cope with the rising fuel prices in the international market.

“The fuel discount program is a big help in the face of rising fuel prices caused by the pandemic and aggravated by the Ukraine-Russia conflict,” DA-13 said.

Each of the beneficiaries was provided with gasoline discount payment cards worth PHP3,000.

The card distribution was facilitated with the Universal Storefront Services Corporation, a partner of the DA-13 in the program.

Melody Guimary, DA-13 chief of field operations, said at least 1,616 corn farmers and 2,186 fisherfolk from the region will directly benefit from the program.

“The distribution of the fuel discount cards will continue on June 22 to 23 in other areas in Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur,” she said.

The other areas to be covered in the coming days include Las Nieves in Agusan del Norte and the towns of Lapaz, Talacogon, and San Luis in Agusan del Sur. (PNA)