TO CUSHION the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis, North Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco has ordered the dispersal of free fruit-bearing trees to farmers.
On Wednesday, more than 1,000 seedlings of durian, rambutan, mangosteen, and lanzones were distributed by personnel of the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAg) to farmers of Sitio Lantapan and Barangay Kiaring and Sitio Rizardo, Barangay Puting Bato, all in the town of Banisilan, North Cotabato.
Karen Recentes, representing OPAg in the “Sagip Kalikasan Dispersal of Fruit Seedlings”, said the implementation of the project is among the marching orders of the governor to help farmers survive the effects of the pandemic.
Earlier, a technology training was conducted by OPAg in partnership with the Don Bosco Foundation which will also monitor the project implementation.
“The seedlings will serve as our alternative source of livelihood. We believe the effects of the pandemic will go beyond this year,” Barangay Kiaring village councilor Felix Sortida said.
Sortida said he has been a farmer for the past 35 years and it was only now that he received seedlings from the government.
Many residents in Kiaring belong to the indigenous peoples (IPs) community of Aromanon-Manobo and are mostly corn farmers who have no income between harvest and planting season. They were elated by the government assistance.
Believing the government has enough in store for them, the farmers have also asked the provincial government to provide them with seedlings for coconut, cacao, and coffee, among other crops. (By Edwin Fernandez)
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