DA 8 already has a rehabilitation plan for affected rice farmers in Eastern Visayas

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 18, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  As early as January 12, the Department of Agriculture in Region 8 under the leadership of Regional Executive Director Leo Cañeda, already made a rehabilitation plan for the rice farmers in Eastern Visayas who were affected by the torrential rains and flooding occurrences.

“With the entire region practically under water due to continuous heavy rains since the start of the new year, it can almost be ascertained that the Region’s agricultural production drive will encounter a major setback,” RED Cañeda told the Philippine Information Agency.

Thus, the DA Regional Field Office 8 deemed it a must to prepare a rehabilitation plan for the affected sector, RED Cañeda added.

RED Cañeda said that as of January 12, the partial estimated agricultural damage in the region was placed at P69 Million involving the inundation of about 12,000 hectares of rice lands with an estimated production loss of 19,000 metric tons.

This level of devastation calls for a quick implementation of a rehabilitation scheme to sustain productivity gains and to restore the morale of the affected farmers, RED Cañeda added.

The good RED stressed that said rehabilitation program should be implemented in close coordination with the local government units and the affected farmers themselves.

Moreover, it should be carried out in the most expeditious manner possible in order to avert further production losses and achieve a sense of normalcy in farm operations, RED Cañeda said.

The main intervention in the rehabilitation plan is the immediate distribution of certified seeds or good seeds to affected farmers on full subsidy at 40 kilograms per hectare.

This entails master listing of beneficiaries based on the official damage reports validated and submitted by the provincial and municipal agriculture office.