LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Governor Nestor Fongwan welcomed CropLife Philippines and Ifarm's offer to help in the rehabilitation for farmers in the wake of devastation wrought by typhoon Pepeng.

CropLife is the association of research-based crop protection companies in the country while Ifarm is the CropLife's partner-NGO advocating science-based agriculture.

Sun.Star accepts donations for victims of Typhoon Ondoy

CropLife executive director Simeon Cuyson and Ifarm officers made the offer when they delivered and turned over t-shirts and canned goods donated by its member-companies to support the Provincial Government's relief efforts.

The turnover was conducted in the Provincial Capitol in La Trinidad last Oct. 28.

The Office of Provincial Agriculturist Lolita Bentres placed the area damaged at 4,384 hectares involving 4,597 farmers as of Oct. 20.

Estimated crop loss is valued at more than P270 million, according to the consolidated report.

Fongwan told CropLife and Ifarm officials their offer was timely since the Provincial Government is set to terminate relief efforts and move on to rehabilitation soon.

Fongwan added Easy West Seeds and Allied two-private seed companies which operate in the province, have donated a first batch of seeds to replenish planting materials the farmers lost to the floods and devastation.

The proposed rehabilitation program, entitled "Agbangon!," is slated to begin in November once the consolidated reports are finalized and the necessary inputs and primary beneficiaries are identified by the Provincial Government and Bentres.

Planned to be part of "Agbangon!" will be psychosocial trauma mitigation clinics for the affected farmers, start-up planting materials, credit facilitation for farm inputs such as fertilizers and crop protection products and environmental stewardship and product stewardship programs based on Good Agricultural Practices to hasten the farmers' getting back on their feet.

It will be recalled even volunteer relief workers and rescuerrs suffered trauma because of their harrowing experiences and what they saw at the height of relief efforts.

"Agbangon!" seeks to provide a model for the private and public sectors to come together and cooperate in efforts at rehabilitation.

The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) as well as private seed companies will be tapped for start-up planting materials.