GENERAL SANTOS CITY — More than a thousand farmers and fishermen here received some PHP12 million worth of assistance packages from the city government and the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Merlinda Donasco, City Agriculture Office (CAO), said Tuesday the assistance is comprised of farm inputs and fishing implements and project grants that were released by the agency through the local government.
She said these were distributed to the beneficiaries during a gathering of the city’s farmers at the oval plaza gymnasium.
The official said the farm inputs, which were acquired by the city government, comprised of 400 bags of corn seeds and 515 bags of certified palay seeds.
She said six farmers who have established techno-demo facilities received 30 bags of hybrid rice seeds.
Donasco said the recipients were from the farming barangays of Baluan, Buayan, Lagao, Katangawan, Ligaya, Tinagacan, Batomelong, Upper Labay, Olympog, Mabuhay, Conel, and Bawing.
She said the local government spent around PHP3.5 million for the purchase of the inputs through a budget approved by City Mayor Ronnel Rivera last year.
In partnership with the DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the official said 14 small fishermen received life vests while 10 others got gill nets.
The recipients were from the coastal barangays of Buayan and Labangal, she said.
Under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), which is implemented by DA, Donasco said two farm cooperatives received project and equipment grants worth PHP8.4 million.
The Tinagacan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative received a unit of 10-wheeler truck worth PHP5 million while the Sinawal Small Farmers Association got a coco syrup processing and marketing facility worth PHP3.4 million.
The Vineyard Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative received a certificate of approval from the PRDP for its nursery facility project.
In a statement, Mayor Ronel Rivera said the local government is currently working on more partnerships with the DA and other agencies to provide for the needs of the city’s fishing and farm sectors.
“We need to assist our farmers and fisherfolk to help them cope with various chalennges like climate change. Rest assured that the city government will address their needs as resources would allow,” he said.
Rivera added that the local government, through the CAO, will continue to enhance its programs to further improve the city’s agricultural sector.(FKA/PNA)
