By Samuel D. Candido
BORONGAN CITY, Jan. 29 (PIA) --‘Ursula-affected’ coconut farmers in E. Samar need urgent government assistance.
Typhoon Ursula damaged some P 19 M worth of coconuts in the southern part of Eastern Samar.
Some 7,503 coconut farmers are reeling with the damage, and seeking urgent assistance.
Based on the report of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) – Eastern Samar, Provincial Field Office, out of 22 municipalities and one City of Eastern Samar, there are 12 municipalities hardly hit by ‘Typhoon Ursula’ on December 24, 2019.
The 12 southern municipalities affected are: Maydolong, Balangkayan, Llorente, Hernani, Gen. Mac-Artur, Salcedo, Mercedes, Guiuan, Quinapondan, Giporlos, Balangiga, and Lawaan.
According to Ms. Loida Flor G. Balundo, OIC- provincial coconut development manager of PCA in their assessment, there are 3,305 bearing and 1,169 non-bearing coconut trees toppled down, 2,194 bearing and 277 non-bearing were decapitated, 9,670 bearing and 3,934 non-bearing heavily affected and 7,721 bearing and 3,088 non-bearing as moderately damaged.
She said that the hardest hit municipality is Llorente with more than 6,000 fruit bearing and non-fruit-bearing coconut trees followed by Hernani with more than 5,000 coconut trees badly affected.
“Over 30 thousand coconut trees were damaged amounting to some P19-M,” the coconut officer said.
Asked about their intervention, Balundo said that they have an on-going Participatory Coconut Planting Program (PCPP) in which they give incentives to coco farmers who plant coconut trees at P40.00 per tree, P18.00 at the nursery stage and P22.00 for planting.
“On January 20, 2020, we delivered 1,000 seed nuts to Giporlos town under the Hybridization Program. These coconuts were hybrid called Catigan Dwarf and Tagnanam Tall,” Balundo said .
Meanwhile, Mr. Inigo A. Guarino, a coconut farmer of Brgy. Cancilides, Hernani town is seeking immediate assistance from the national government.
“Most of the people in our barangay are coconut farmers. We need urgent assistance,” Guarino added.
“Coconut farming is my only source of income, and with the typhoon, I lost my coconut trees. It may take six to eight years for them to recover and return to full production, so I am asking President Duterte who always puts the peoples welfare first, help the coconut farmers!” Guarino said.
Eastern Visayas is the country’s second largest coconut producing region with close to 400 thousand coconut farmers.
In Eastern Samar, some 16 thousand coconut farmers depend on the coconut for their income. (nbq/SDC/PIA-E. Samar)