THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is crafting a disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation program to cushion off the adverse and destructive impacts of natural disasters, particularly typhoons and floods, on the country's agriculture and fishery sector, an official said Saturday.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the entire DA family should be prepared to surmount the challenges posed by typhoons and floods, and protect the gains and livelihood of the country’s farmers and fisherfolk, including public investments like irrigation systems, postharvest facilities, and farm-to-market roads.
"Let's harmonize our efforts and resources, as we craft a comprehensive disaster preparedness program to better protect farming and fishing areas against typhoons and floods," he said.
"We hope to come up with a better, more effective scheme that would serve as a template for centralized and organized reporting before, during, and after calamities or disasters. It could serve as a model for our Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors, who are likewise visited by tropical storms and typhoons during monsoon season," said the DA chief.
On the aftermath of Typhoon "Pablo" in Davao region, Alcala commended the DA regional directors in Mindanao and Visayas who took the initiative of providing farm inputs and machinery to enable affected farmers and fisherfolk in Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, del Norte and del Sur, and Davao City recover and start anew.
He said as result of the quick coordination among DA regional directors in five regions (10, 12, 13, 6 and 7), they were able to mobilize an initial 16 4-wheel tractors and deployed them to typhoon affected towns in Davao region.
The DA has initially allotted P235 million for farm inputs assistance and rehabilitation in Compostela Valley, three Davao provinces (Oriental, Del Sur and Del Norte) and Davao City.
The DA has also requested an additional P1.6 billion from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), said DA assistant secretary and national rice program coordinator Dante Delima, who was designated chair of "Task Force Alayon" that oversees and implements the rehabilitation of farming and fishing communities affected by typhoon "Pablo." (SDR/Sunnex)
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