Cotabato bishop urges DA to release calamity fund for farmers

A bishop from Cotabato asked the Department of Agriculture to provide Mindanao farmers with needed calamity assistance fund.

Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, in an interview with Radyo Veritas on Thursday, said the government should not take for granted the Kidapawan incident. He said it should not happen again.

“Dapat nang tugunan at seryosohin ng gobyerno ang suliraning kinakaharap ng mga magsasaka,” Bagaforo said.

(The government should now provide solutions and take seriously the problems faced by the farmers.)

Aside from the rice demanded by the farmers, agriculture inputs, seedlings and fertilizers are also essential to them as they continue to battle the El Niño weather phenomenon, the bishop said.

“Yan dapat ay mai-release na nila ang pondo para sa calamity fund ng biktima ng El Nino. Yung maliban sa pagkain na bigas ay yung kailangan nila na puhunan para sa kanilang pagsisimula muli na makakatulong sa ating mga magsasaka,” said Bagaforo.

(Calamity fund for the victims of El Nino should really be released. Aside from rice, they also need capital that will help them start over again.)

The Department of Agriculture spent P2.6 million for cloud seeding in Southern Mindanao. However,  drought continues to affect 28,000 farmers in Davao del Sur. Joyce Umbay, INQUIRER.net trainee/RAM

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