A total of 2,271 rice farmers from Regions Five and Six have been verified to benefit from the Government’s recently announced rice farmer assistance programme.
This follows a series of field visits and verification exercises conducted by rice cultivation verification committees to identify eligible farmers for the initiative.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Wednesday met with members of the committees from both regions, where updates were provided on the progress of the verification process and the findings from their assessments.
The minister said the exercise was critical in ensuring that farmers who qualify for the support are accurately identified and included, while maintaining transparency and accountability throughout the process.
“We want to ensure that the assistance reaches the intended beneficiaries and that the process is carried out with the highest level of integrity,” Minister Mustapha told committee members.
According to the reports presented, 1,387 farmers in Region Five and 884 farmers in Region Six have been verified and are expected to receive support under the programme.
The assistance initiative was announced by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali as part of the government’s continued efforts to support rice farmers and strengthen the agriculture sector.
Under the programme, farmers cultivating 50 acres and below will receive $15,000 per acre, while farmers cultivating more than 50 acres will receive $10,000 per acre.
The government has said the targeted support is aimed at providing relief to rice farmers while helping to sustain production and protect livelihoods within the sector.