An initial 356 rice and vegetable farmers in two provinces in the Cordillera region affected by Typhoon Kristine expect aid from the Department of Agriculture (DA), as at least P17.5 million worth of damage has been dealt to the region’s agricultural sector.
Department of Agriculture – Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) personnel have readied for distribution some P4.5 million worth of rice seeds to help out the rice farmers hit by Kristine, and some P220,000 worth of vegetable seeds for the significantly less hurt vegetable farming sector.
For livestock, DA-CAR has made available vaccines, antibacterial medicines, dewormers, vitamins, and multivitamins worth about P2.9 million.
According to DA-CAR’s Aida Pagtan, head of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Service (RAFIS), the agency has since distributed the aid and farm inputs to its provincial offices to more quickly and efficiently distribute them to the farmers at the ground level.
Zero-interest loans have also been readied for farmers to avail of to recover their losses.
The DA-CAR is also urging local farmers to head to their local agricultural offices and report the damage they sustained in order for the agency to direct aid their way.
