Siargao farmers replant their farms after 'Odette'
BUTUAN CITY -- As
livelihood recovery efforts continue, farmers in Siargao Island and the
provincial government of Surigao del Norte are optimistic that the upcoming
harvest can help them rebound from the devastating impacts of Super Typhoon
Odette.
The municipalities of Dapa,
General Luna, Del Carmen, Burgos, Pilar, Sta. Monica, San Benito, and San
Isidro, all in the first district of the province, are now starting to
rehabilitate their damaged farms through the assistance of the Department of
Agriculture (DA). Around 5,000 sweet potato cuttings, 2,564 pouches of
vegetables, 50 bags of certified rice seeds, 300 bags of corn seeds, and 200
bags of fertilizer were distributed to the farmers in the island.
“Our main goal is to help the residents
in the Island not to rely on relief goods in the coming months. It is expected
that the production will provide food for each family as well as to the
community in Siargao after three to four months,” said DA-Caraga Regional
Executive Director Ricardo M. OΓ±ate, Jr.
To fast-track the rehabilitation efforts
and to ensure the readiness of the areas, the DA-Caraga deployed its farm
machinery on the island which started on January 11. Two four-wheel-drive
tractors with implements like the disc plow, trailing harrow, and rotavator
were used to simplify the work and increase speed and efficiency for the
recovering farmers.
Director OΓ±ate said that mechanization
is an essential input for agricultural crop production.
“More tasks can be completed at the
right time and greater areas can be farmed to produce greater quantities of
crops. Without timely and adequate support the production capacity of the
farmers could be compromised," he added.
In its second week of
operation, around 20 hectares were cultivated in the municipalities of Dapa and
General Luna. More areas will be assisted in the coming days as the
rehabilitation workforce doubles its efforts in assisting more farmers.
The Department continuously pours its
support to the affected communities by intensifying the implementation of the
OneDA reform agenda key strategies. Modernization of agriculture through
mechanization and climate change adaptation and mitigation measures will
further strengthen the Agency's efforts to address current agriculture
challenges like climate change by introducing agriculture climate-resilient
technologies.
Moreover, DA-Caraga is allocating around
₱245 million worth of interventions for
the rehabilitation and recovery plan for the province of Surigao del Norte.
This includes production support and financial assistance from DA –
Agricultural Credit Policy Council. (DA-Caraga/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
