DA distributes aid to Caraga farmers affected by floods

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Saturday distributed aid for farmers in Caraga whose livelihoods were affected by recent weather disturbances.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. attended the event.

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According to the DA, the total aid package for Caraga and Davao, which was also affected by floods brought by the shear line, was more than P16 million.

The package includes various crops such as rice, corn, and vegetables, with concessional loans for more than 16,500 farmers affected.

The DA’s office in Davao had also prepared P13.4 million worth of rice, corn, and vegetable seeds for distribution.

Each farmer will also receive a P25,000 three-year loan from the DA’s Quick Response Fund, the agency added.

The DA added that according to its estimates, agricultural losses were marked at P359.8 million in Davao and Caraga, with 15,792 farm hectares being totally damaged, and 7,449 hectares with partial damage.

This also translates into 753 metric tons of palay, 2,006 metric tons of corn, and 608 metric tons of other high-value crops, all damaged in the weather disturbance.

“We are hopeful that the interventions and assistance we have and will extend to our farmers here in Caraga and in the Davao provinces will mitigate the adverse impact of these weather disturbances on their lives and livelihoods and help in their quick recovery,” Tiu-Laurel said.

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The number of persons affected by the trough of a low pressure area that flooded Mindanao has climbed to 1,603,514, the Department of Social Welfare and Development reported last Wednesday.

READ: DSWD: 1.6 million locals affected due to LPA trough in Mindanao