ATI, an agency under the Department of Agriculture, is awarding scholarship grants to incoming first-year college students this school year.
“Now in the country, the average age of farmers is 57 years old, and the age of our farmers is getting older with no one following in their steps,” said Jun Oliver, information officer of ATI 7 during the Kapihan sa PIA on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
He hopes that this will encourage the younger generation to consider a career in agriculture and other related fields.
According to the October 2022 Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the agriculture and forestry industry lost 511,000 workers last year alone, as their numbers fell to 9.22 million in October from 9.73 million in July.
Aside from children of local farmers, children of fisherfolk are also eligible under the program dubbed “EAsY Agri: Educational Assistance for the Youth in Agriculture.”
Perks and grants
“When they enter college, we will really support them until they graduate by providing them with allowances,” Oliver said.
Once approved, the scholar will receive support for matriculation or school costs as evaluated by the school, including midyear if required, not to exceed P30,000 each school year.
On top of the tuition, the scholar will receive a stipend including P6,000 monthly for lodging, P1,500 per semester for learning materials and P500 monthly for internet allowance.
When scholars embark on research or on-the-job (OJT) training, they will also receive an allowance of P10,000 to be given in full during the approval of the thesis title or start of OJT; and graduation fees not exceeding P3,000.
They will also receive miscellaneous allowances, which include testing or assessment fee of P1,000 per test; and gadget assistance of P15,000 in cash but subject to liquidation by the scholar.
Eligibility
Under the program, the applicant must be a Filipino citizen who is not more than 30 years old.
The scholar must be a son or a daughter of a farmer or fisher, who has registered or has applied for the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), with an annual gross income of not more than P120,000.
The RSBSA is a registry of farmers, fisherfolk and farm laborers that serves as a targeting mechanism for the identification of beneficiaries for agriculture-related programs and services of the government.
The applicant must be a senior high school graduate with a high school grade general weighted average or GWA of 85 or higher.
Oliver said the scholars must study under disciplines that include agriculture, fisheries, environmental science, forestry and natural resources, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and veterinary science.
He said in Central Visayas, there are four state universities and colleges where scholars may apply. These are the Cebu Technological University Barili and Argao campuses in Cebu Province, Bohol Island State University in Pilar town, and Negros Oriental State University.
Interested applicants are urged to contact ATI 7 officers Joemelyn Sumagang at 0917 849 7075, and Irene Pamine-Llanasa Blasco at 0917 849 7744 or email address cdms.rtc7@ati.da.gov.ph.
The latest data released by the PSA last May 8 showed that the agriculture and forestry industry lost 607,000 workers between March 2022 and March 2023.
The statistical authority attributed the drop to the “seasonal harvest and planting” of various crops, including the growing of rice and banana.
However, Central Visayas’ agriculture sector continues to perform well, posting a growth of five percent in 2021 from only 1.4 percent in 2020, according to the PSA.
Based on the 2021 Performance of Agriculture & Fisheries in Central Visayas report issued on June 2, 2022, the crop production in the region was valued at P28.08 billion in 2021, a 4.9 percent increase from the P26.77 billion in 2020.
The volume of crop production in that year hit 3,974 thousand metric tons, a 7.8 percent increase from the 3,686 thousand metric tons in 2020.
But the volume of crop production grew slower at 7.8 percent in 2020-2021 compared to the 9.3 percent growth in 2019-2020.
In Central Visayas, Cebu posted the highest annual increase in the value of agriculture and fisheries production at 7.3 percent in 2021.