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[av_heading heading=’ Farms should gird for dry spell – DA’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Sunday, April 23, 2017
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BACOLOD City – To mitigate the effect s of the dry spell due to the projected El Niño this year, the Department of Agriculture-Negros Island Region (DA-NIR) prepared buffer stocks of certified seeds and other inputs for distribution to rice farmers.
According to DA-NIR’s Joyce Wendam, rice farmers were usually the hardest hit thus measures were being readied to cushion the effects on them.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan declared a state of calamity in 2016 due to the dry spell. Negros Occidental incurred at least P470 million in damage and losses to crops.
Wendam said buffer stocks of certified rice seeds were available at the Philippine Rice Research Institute-Negros Occidental in Murcia town.
“The stocks can be distributed anytime,” she said.
To determine the schedule of the releases, Wendam said, DA-NIR has coordinated with the city and municipal agriculture offices.
The DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management also contacted their office to know the areas that need immediate cloud seeding operations.
Earlier, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) in Negros Occidental said they were planning to conduct cloud seeding operation with the DA-BSWM.
OPA officer-in-charge Japhet Masculino said this was part of the initiatives of the provincial government to cushion the impact of dry weather to the province’s agriculture industry.
Moreover, Wendam said the DA central office has initially allocated P1 billion for the Survival Recovery (SURE) Loan program covering all calamity-affected farmers and fisherfolk nationwide.
Identified recipients receive PHP10,000 each, and recovery loan worth PHP20,000 each. (PNA)
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