DA says programs to help typhoon-hit farmers 'rebound' ongoing

The Department of Agriculture is implementing programs to help farmers affected by typhoons Pedring (Nesat) and Quiel (Nalgae) recover, and is targeting next week as the time for them to prepare their fields for planting. DA Secretary Proceso Alcala said Wednesday his department is now implementing two programs – a "Plant Now, Pay Later" loan program and the pre-positioning of seeds and fertilizer – for farmers in the affected areas. "Our aim is for the farmers to rebound at once. They can still recover, no area will be lost. They should prepare their fields by the second week of October, so they can harvest their crops late February and replant for the dry season," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Farmers in Northern and Central Luzon and in Cagayan Valley were affected by the destruction caused by Pedring and Quiel, which pounded Northern Luzon. As of Wednesday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council estimated the damage to agriculture at P8.093 billion. For now, Alcala said the DA has pre-positioned certified seeds and fertilizer, so they will be available to affected farmers. This will work in tandem with the Plant Now, Pay Later program, where P400 million has been made available in potential loans to farmer via cooperative banks. "Farmers can pay the loans after the cropping season. There is a small interest involved, but the important thing is for them to rebound," he said. He also said he expects President Benigno Aquino III to sign within the day an authorization for the National Food Authority to buy rain-damaged rice from the farmers. This will protect farmers from unscrupulous middlemen who buy the rain-damaged rice cheap and sell them at a tidy profit, he said. — LBG, GMA News