Jun 30
Posted By Christine S. Parinas, Our Contributor
Regional Director Gil Pepito B. Paqueo assured the public of the availability of NFA rice to last a few months despite the threat of prolonged drought brought by the El Niño weather pattern this year.
RD Paqueo said that 128,750 bags of imported rice on board M/V BINH PHOUC and 120,000 bags unloaded from M/V VINH HUNG respectively from Thailand and Vietnam arrived recently at the port of Surigao City to beef up the stock inventory of the region. He also disclosed that the third vessel is due to drop anchor this week with a shipment of 130,000 bags of Vietnam rice in Surigao City port.
This supply, he said, is part of the 1.6 million bags expected to arrive in the region this year. The region’s share in the rice importation has increased by 300,000 bags from the original procurement plan of 1.3 million bags as part of the El Nino mitigation plan. These rice imports will also cater the needs of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Province of Dinagat Islands.
With the regional consumption rate of 22,800 bags on the average daily, the NFA can sustain the market demand for the next 127 days. “With this inventory, we are capable of flooding the market with the commodity (and prevent) attempts to manipulate price and (put) consumers at a disadvantaged position,” said Paqueo.
He also noted that while prices of commercial rice have gone up slightly, NFA rice continues to be sold at P18.25 and P25 per kilo. “It is the agency’s commitment to make NFA rice available and visible in the market in order for the consumer to buy rice at low prices”, he said.
Jun 26
If the El Niño phenomenon has caused havoc to agriculture, the Department of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral told local media here that the dry spell has not really caused so much of a problem health wise.
Aside from the usual summer diseases like measles, chicken pox and prickly heat, the DOH Secretary said they are watching out for paralytic shellfish poisoning in areas where there are algae blooms such as red tide.
“There are also some diarrheal diseases born out of spoiled food especially that its summer and its warm, food spoils very quickly,” Cabral warned.
In order to avoid food poisoning, diarrhea and other heat-associated ailments, the DOH has posted an advisory on their website.
The advisory warned the public of diseases like food and water-borne which include typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, and other diseases like sore eyes, measles, dengue, malaria, sunburn and prickly heat.
Jun 22
by Jemin B. Guillermo
More than 14,000 Capiceño farmers are already affected by the prolonged drought brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.
Report from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics in the province showed that as of March 8, a total of 14,563 palay and corn farmers in Capiz are already affected by the dry spell because their plantation have been damaged by said phenomenon.
According to BAS Provincial Manager Eric Piansay, the drought has already affected 10,278 hectares of palay plantation, of which 3,986 hectares are totally damaged while the remaining 6,292 hectares are partially damaged.
Piansay said that the palay crop which is damaged by the long drought are on its vegetative and reproductive stages already.
He revealed that the value of the damaged palay plantation, which includes the cost of farm inputs, is estimated at more than P33.55 million.
He added that the expected harvest for the crops which is at its reproductive stage is estimated at 1,333.01 metric tons or equivalent to nearly P20 million.
On the other hand, Piansay disclosed that some 2,183 hectares of corn plantation in Capiz are also affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
Of the total affected plantation, 940 hectares of which are totally damaged and the remaining 1,243 hectares are partially damaged.