Agriculture dep’t ‘pre-positions’ seeds for post-‘Yolanda’ replanting

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agriculture (DA) has organized quick-response teams to help  farmers who suffer losses due to Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala on Friday said replacement seeds have been “pre-positioned” in affected areas.

“This is most unfortunate, particularly for palay farms in Mindoro where harvest is ongoing,” Alcala said. “But we have provisions as a standard response to agricultural damage due to calamities.”

Alcala said it was too early to assess the damage.

The agriculture chief said he has tasked Undersecretary Dante S. Delima, who also heads the National Rice Program, to ready the quick-response teams.

Earlier, Delima said about 300,000 metric tons had been lost to bad weather so far this year. This is about half of the 600,000-MT buffer stocks the government has prepared for 2013.

The government’s yearly buffer stock of palay seeds is adequate for planting 400,000 hectares of rice land, which is a tenth of the estimated 4 million ha planted to rice, the DA said.

Similarly, the National Food Authority (NFA) has stocks of milled rice in its various depots nationwide ready for distribution to victims in calamity-affected areas.

NFA Administrator Orlan Calayag reiterated that the agency has enough rice stocks spread across the nation, and which local government units (LGUs) and relief agencies may access easily during emergency or calamity situations.

Calayag said the NFA has standing memorandums of agreement with various LGUs and agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine National Red Cross for the systematic release of rice stocks for relief efforts.

The NFA itself runs its Operations Center at its headquarters in Quezon City to monitor the situation in various areas during weather disturbances.

He said that as soon as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issues warnings about an approaching typhoon, concerned NFA field offices are alerted and tasked to coordinate with LGUs regarding the availability of rice stocks.

Over the past two months alone, the NFA gave out a total of 25,850 sacks of milled rice to victims of heavy rains across the nation, the earthquake in the Visayas and the standoff in Zamboanga City.

 
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