Cotabato City – The towns of M’lang and Kabacan – two rice producing towns in North Cotabato – have been placed under state of calamity due to severe drought that already destroyed about P230 million worth of crops in the province.
Officials placed the damage to crops in M’lang and Kabacan at P40 million and P21 million respectively.
The declaration came after the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s recommendation to allow the local government units to use their calamity funds.
Among the heavily affected agricultural products are rubber and banana – two major agricultural products of M’lang next to rice.
Rice and corn fields in M’lang have dried up, forcing farmers to shift to heat resistant crops which take time to grow.
In Kabacan, Mayor Herlo Guzman Jr. said the local agriculture office is finalizing the list of farmers to be given assistance after rice fields, corn fields, banana plantation and rubber plantation have dried up.
Grass fires which occur every now and then also threaten crops that can still be recovered.
Dr. Eliseo Mangliwan, North Cotabato provincial agriculturist, has recommended the conduct of cloud seeding operations to the Department of Agriculture.
But while the DA-12 is ready for cloud seeding, Mangliwan said it cannot be carried out right away due to the absence of “seedable clouds.”
Manila Bulletin
