Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 27) — The Department of Agriculture said it has distributed some ₱8.5 billion worth of assistance to help in the recovery of farmers and fisherfolk severely affected by the typhoons that recently ravaged the country.
DA Undersecretary for Operations Ariel Cayanan said on Friday that the initial disbursement is composed of inbred and hybrid seeds of rice, corn and vegetables, cassava seed pieces, fertilizers, livestock animals, fingerlings, medicine, fishing boats, and various kinds of farm equipment.
These were sourced from the department’s banner program for rice, corn and high-value crops, food and cash aid, quick response fund, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, emergency and livelihood loans from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, and insurance payments from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.
Bulk of the assistance was given to farmers and fishers in Cagayan Valley and the Bicol Region, the areas hardest hit by the recent tropical cyclones, amounting to ₱2.34 billion and ₱1.07 billion, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Cordillera Administrative Region received ₱382 million worth interventions, with Ilocos Region also getting ₱313.8 million, Central Luzon ₱281.5 million, CALABARZON ₱736 million, and MIMAROPA ₱914 million.
Filipinos have been trying to recover for weeks now after consecutive typhoons hit the country for the past two months. The department said total damage to agriculture after seven consecutive typhoons since October has reached ₱12.8 billion.
Despite this, the DA said more than ₱32 billion worth of rice, corn, vegetables, fruit crops, and aquaculture were saved due to early advisories.
