AS DAMAGES to agriculture increase in the Cordillera, prices of temperate vegetables from Benguet remain fluctuating according to the Benguet Farmers Marketing Cooperative.
Records from the BFMC show prices of carrots, potatoes, cabbage and wombok range from P8 to P70 per kilo since October 12.
Augusta Balanoy of the BFMC said they are expecting more than a 30 percent decrease in supply of highland vegetables within the next few weeks after nearly 50 percent of crops were damaged.
Balanoy added however there will be enough supply as farmers salvaged most of their produce while some already started planting in time for December.
More than P695,322,283.88 worth of agricultural products were destroyed in the region according to a report from the Department of Agriculture with Apayao recording P180,551,076.14 worth of crops damaged by typhoon Lawin last week.
Kalinga, Cordillera’s rice granary, also posted P133,421,898 million of damaged agricultural products Abra and Ifugao lost P107,744,323.17 and 107,333,111.35 during the super typhoon which lashed the Cordillera, Ilocos, and Cagayan Valley.
Benguet on the other hand, which supplies more than half of the country’s high value vegetable crop lost P77,061,536.48 with Mt. Province posting a loss of 24,699,338,20 in agricultural crops.
The region’s fisheries were not spared by the super typhoon as P21,102,693 worth of fish products were damaged according to Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the Cordillera region.
Meanwhile, typhoon affected farmers and fisherfolk in Northern Luzon were assured support by Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol.
In his visit to Kalinga during the weekend, Piñol said immediate action of the DA is to ensure affected farmers and fisherfolks including their families would be given food assistance.
“We will make sure that the famers and fisherfolks would have something to eat including their family members and children,” said Piñol who met with local officials, farmers and fisherfolks and other stakeholders.
Piñol ordered the validation of damage and number of farmers and fisherfolk affected and identify delivery interventions such as seeds, fertilizers, and fishing equipment that would be given to the affected farmers.
Aside from the immediate action, the Secretary said he will consult with Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to look at the deforestation of the watershed providing water to the Chico and Cagayan Rivers.
Piñol will also recommend to the national government a serious study for the de-silting and dredging of the Chico River and Cagayan River which caused damage in the province of Kalinga and Cagayan during the typhoon.
“From the sky I saw threatening signs of an impending disaster.
Another strong typhoon would possibly affect the towns beside Chico and Cagayan rivers when it overflows; the massive flooding could result to the loss of lives and properties,” said Piñol who conducted aerial inspection of the typhoon affected areas in Northern Luzon. (Roderick Osis with a report from Redjie Melvic Cawis/PIA-CAR)
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/
