THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has partnered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in an emergency rehabilitation program for Bicol’s abaca industry, which employs 23,000 farmers affected by recent typhoons.
It said the farmers will be tapped to clear debris, trim damaged crops, and replant abaca.
The program will operate under DoLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), which provides temporary employment and cash for work.
The program will help rehabilitate damaged farms. More severely damaged farms will undergo full replanting materials provided by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA).
The DA said farmers will receive cash incentives ranging from P3,000 per hectare for slightly damaged farms, P5,000 for moderately damaged areas, and P10,000 for heavily affected areas. Farmers will also receive protective gear and a one-year personal accident insurance package from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.
PhilFIDA technicians will validate loss reports and ensure planting materials are ready before work begins. An inspection team will later monitor the survival rates of replanted abaca.
The DA said the program aims to restore over 4,500 hectares of abaca farms within three months.
Bicol is a major abaca producer with nearly one-third of the national total. The DA reported that Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), which traversed Luzon in early November, damaged more than 55,000 hectares of abaca farms, destroying an estimated 7,492 metric tons of fiber valued at over P38 million. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel