Saturday, August 11, 2007 5 towns in North Cotabato devastated by floods, pests
FLOODS and plant pest attack are threatening rice harvests in North Cotabato where at least five towns have declared a state of calamity.
And unless the National Government immediately steps in, North Cotabato Representative Bernardo Piñol Jr. said farmers in the land-locked province forecast no less than P100 million in damage to their crops, which they expect to begin harvesting in September and October.
Piñol and his brothers, North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Pinol and Mlang town Mayor Lito Piñol, said the calamity that has hit the affected areas has reached the level of "national concern."
The neophyte lawmaker said unlike many parts of Luzon which experienced drought last week until the rains began coming last Tuesday, North Cotabato and other areas of Mindanao have been plagued with heavy rains and flooding, threatening the expected good harvest of palay and other crops on the island.
Focusing on his province, Congressman Pinol said at least 2,000 hectares of rice lands in the towns of Mlang, Tulunan, Magpet, Arakan and President Roxas have been damaged by the floods and attacks of the stem borer, a destructive pest that feasts on the roots of newly-planted palay.
More than 9,000 tons of expected rice harvest will to be destroyed by what Congressman Piñol describes as a "double whammy" for North Cotabato, which is among the country's top rice producers.
Worst affected are the towns of Mlang and Tulunan where no less than 1,800 hectares of rice lands have been rendered useless for farmers, he added.
"If we fail to react on time, the situation might worsen," he added as he expressed apprehension that the country could experience a shortage in rice supply because of the similar expected poor harvest in Luzon affected by the long dry spell.
The congressman said Malacañang has yet to release calamity funds requested by local leaders who have been beset by farmers who had gone to loan sharks to borrow money to purchase better palay varieties that are resistant to pests and fertilizers.
"For every P1,000 that the farmers borrow, the loan sharks require them to pay the amount immediately after harvest plus interest that includes a sack of rice," Congressman Pinol said.
An agriculturist by nature, the congressman said he has appealed to farmers in the province to shift to high-value crops like rubber, palm oil and other permanent and sustainable crops that can bring them "more profits" than rice production.
Congressman Pinol said only "minimal risks" are involved in planting permanent crops compared to rice. (Sunnex)
