 | Agri output in Central Luzon posts 3% growth |
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balita-dot-ph MAy 24,2010 8:06PM Agri output in Central Luzon posts 3% growthCITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, May 24 –Agricultural output in Central Luzon provinces posted a three percent growth in the first quarter of the year despite the El Nino phenomenon that hit the country. In terms of high value commercial crops, the provinces of Bulacan and Zambales were among those hardly hit, affecting 1,142 farmers. (PNA) scs/zst/Jonah Lou Bondoc/psDepartment of Agriculture Regional Director Redentor Gatus said the onslaught of the prolonged dry spell caused minimal impact to agricultural crops in the region. Gatus said the DA-Regional Field Unit (RFU) has implemented various mitigating measures that helped and supported farmers to cope with the adverse effect of the dry spell. He said interventions such as the release of additional budget for affected sectors, provision of seedlings and water pumps, giving of fuel subsidies to farmers and the implementation of a rotational irrigation system have been put in place. "Also, we advised the farmers that they can plant crops only until January 15," he said. "Heeding our advice, the farmers succeeded in harvesting their crops before this phenomenon occurred," he added. Gatus said the DA also provided the farmers some shallow tube wells (STW) as part of its ongoing efforts to help them offset production losses due to El Nino. In Pampanga, the municipalities of San Simon, Candaba and Apalit were among those that benefitted from DA’s assistance. Gatus vowed to support the farmers until this coming rainy season by helping them in positioning their seeds. As early as December last year, the DA had already created a task force to carry out its five-point program to raise crop production along with farmers’ incomes in the face of a then-looming El Niño attack that is expected to last until the middle of the year. Based on the DA-RFU-3 records as of May 13, a total of 16,844.12 hectares of rice lands in the region had been affected by El Nino. Record further showed that a total of 3,879.86 hectares of corn lands were affected in the region. |
