TAGUM CITY — A peasant group on Monday scored the government for its dry, slow and weak response as dry spell is reaching on its peak.
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), in its March 14 statement said that the El Niño phenomenon felt across the country has severely affected the farmers, agricultural production and it also threatens food security.
Thus, the group demands that government provides “immediate production support and calamity subsidies to farmers affected by worsening drought across the country.”
Immediate funding needed, says KMP
“Immediate assistance to farmers through production subsidies can be sourced from the Quick Response Fund (QRF) of the Department of Agriculture-Office of the Secretary and National Irrigation Administration worth P1-billion. The 2016 QRF allocation of the DA should also be utilized to mitigate the effects of El Nino,” said KMP secretary general Antonio Flores.
According to the group, by April, up to 85% of the country is expected to be affected by the dry spell. Flores said that in 2015, the total damage and production losses in crops reached USD 70.8-million which affected almost 100,000 farmers.
KMP, citing a report from Department of Agriculture, said that for the previous months the agricultural sector’s losses has reached more than P5.32-billion, affecting 237,000 hectares of agricultural areas with an estimated production loss of 358,800 metric tons of rice, corn, high value crops, and livestock.
The group said that the El Niño phenomenon will be strongly felt in Apayao, Bataan, Benguet, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Ilocos Norte, Rizal, La Union, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato.
Earlier several cities and provinces across the country were declared in state of calamity due to the intense drought brought upon by El Niño. These were: Butuan, Zamboanga, General Santos, Bukidnon, North Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Maguindanao, and Guimaras and almost entire Mindanao.
Aquino admin told: prioritize farmers over sorties
“Farmers demand strong state intervention to address the effects of El Niño,” he said while slamming “DA and Proceso Alcala-led El Niño ‘sorties’ campaigning for Daang Matuwid and Liberal Party bet Mar Roxas.”
KMP’s Flores also criticized the government’s Task Force El Niño for falling short in addressing the dire effects of drought on farmers.
He claims that the government has earmarked P19.2-billion budget for the last quarter of 2015 to the first half of 2016 to mitigate El Niño.
“The government’s El Niño Comprehensive Response Plan is not a response at all. Puro papogi lang ang ginagawa ni Secretary Alcala habang sinasalanta ng tagtuyot at kalamidad ang mga magsasaka,” he said. (davaotoday.com)
