President Marcos, DA distribute aid to CARAGA farmers affected by bad weather

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. lead the distribution today of the farm inputs and other assistance to farmers in the Caraga Region who have been adversely affected by the recent weather disturbances.

The total aid package for the two regions, Caraga and Davao, which includes more than P16 million worth of rice, corn, and vegetables, as well as concessional loans, will be turned over to 16,521 farmers whose livelihoods were severely affected by heavy rains, flooding caused by the northeast monsoon, the shear line it stoked, and the trough of a low-pressure area.

The DA Regional Field Office in Caraga—an administrative region that includes the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur—already delivered P3.2 million worth of rice and assorted vegetable seeds, and rodenticides to the Provincial Agricultural Office of Agusan del Sur to help farmers quickly recover from the damage caused by the weather disturbances.

Meantime, the DA Regional Field Office in Davao has readied P13.4 million worth of rice, corn and vegetable seeds to distribute to affected farmers.

The DA will also make available to each affected farmer as much as P25,000 of three-year, zero interest loans from the Survival and Recovery Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council and assistance through the Quick Response Fund for early recovery and rehabilitation of affected areas.

According to the latest DA estimate, the damage and losses due to the shear line, Northeast monsoon, and the trough of an LPA have reached P359.8 million in Davao and Caraga. A total of 15,792 hectares of farmlands were totally damaged, while 7,449 hectares sustained partial damage but still have a chance to recover.

The losses in terms of volume total 753 metric tons of palay, 2,006 metric tons of corn, and 608 metric tons of high-value crops.

“We are hopeful that the interventions and assistance we have and will extend to our farmers here in Caraga and in the Davao provinces will mitigate the adverse impact of these weather disturbances on their lives and livelihoods and help in their quick recovery,”