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Sunday, February 08, 2004
Koronadal City placed under state of calamity
By Allen V. Estabillo
* Tungro, rats attack farmlands in Koronadal valley
* Residents given one kilo of rice for every four rat tails surrendered
KORONADAL CITY -- The City Government here has declared the entire city under the state of calamity due to the worsening pest infestation that destroyed more than 2,000 hectares of rice and corn farmlands.
City mayor Fernando Miguel issued the declaration, citing that the infestation wrought by rodents, corn hoppers and rice tungro virus is now "considerably serious" as it has already affected the livelihood of farmers in at least 23 villages in the city.
A report from the City Agriculture Office showed that at least 389.25 hectares of corn and 463.8 hectares of rice farmlands were destroyed by rats.
The tungro virus wiped out at least 62.87 hectares of rice while the corn hoppers ravaged some 605.21 hectares.
Hardest hit by the rodent infestation were upland barangays composed of San Jose, Assumption, Saravia and Carpenter Hill. The tungro and hopper infestation were heavily monitored in barangays Conception, San Roque, Caloocan and Avanceña.
The infestation, primarily blamed on the early occurrence of the dry season in the area, was monitored to have started during the fourth quarter of last year and eventually intensified in January this year.
Based on an executive proclamation dated Feb. 2, the mayor said the damage to rice and corn crops in the city has resulted to tremendous production losses to farmers who largely depend on their harvest for their daily sustenance.
Miguel said "there is an urgent need for the declaration of the state of calamity in the city." He added such move would enable the City Government to use its calamity funds for the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Verceles Damo, an agricultural technician of the city agriculture office, said the calamity funds would be used to augment the ongoing rat eradication campaign and pest management programs.
For the anti-rat campaign, she said farmers who would be able to present 200 tails of rats would receive at least a sack of rice or the equivalent of four rat tails to a kilo of rice.
The scheme was launched to encourage farmers to help sanitize the affected farmlands by themselves and eventually provide them with food supplies, especially those who lost their crops.
Damo added their office has dispatched its technical personnel to facilitate pest management campaigns in all affected villages.
(February 6, 2004 issue)
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