By Manny Piñol
Three days after President Rody Duterte personally inspected the farming areas damaged by the eruption of Mayon Volcano, the first shipment of UV Plastic Sheets and organic fertilisers arrived in Albay Thursday.
The UV Plastic Sheets will be used in setting up low-level sheds to shield growing vegetables from the ashes spewed by Mayon Volcano.
Fifty tons of organic fertilisers coming from Tarlac were also delivered along with the UV Plastic Sheets intended for the first 1,000 high value vegetable farmers in areas around Mayon Volcano.
On Monday, Pres. Duterte committed P100-M for the agricultural rehabilitation of farms affected by the eruption of Mayon Volcano.
The allocation will come from the P1-B Quick Reaction Fund (QRF) of the Department of Agriculture which is intended for immediate intervention in times of calamities.
Before President Duterte’s arrival Monday afternoon, the Agriculture Department conducted a Biyaheng Bukid Farmers’ Forum in Guinobatan town where problems were aimed by agriculture stakeholder.
One of the major issues raised was the damage caused by the ash fall on rice and corn farms, vegetable gardens and other crops.
I told the farmers that while the DA could only provide interventions for the rice and corn fields when the volcano stops spewing ashes, the vegetable gardens could be saved by putting up plastic sheds to protect the growing vegetables from the ashes.
On Tuesday noon, shortly after arriving from Bicol following an 11-hour overnight drive from Legazpi City to Manila, I met with Harbest Agriculture’s Arsenio “Toto” Barcelona whose company is involved in the advocacy to introduce greenhouse farming to farmers.
After a very quick meeting, he agreed to help in the rehabilitation of the vegetable farms in the areas around Mayon Volcano.
By Thursday, two trucks loaded with UV Plastic Sheets and organic fertilisers arrived in Albay to start the rehabilitation.
Since yesterday, the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) Region V head Rose Imperial and personnel from Harbest had been conducting trainings for vegetable farmers on how to set up the low-level greenhouses.
With an allocation of 90-lineal meters per farmer, a total of 90,000 lineal meters of vegetable gardens will be covered by UV Plastic Sheets.
The intervention is expected to increase the vegetable production in the areas around Mayon Volcano and sustain the livelihood of farmers even as the volcano continues to spew ashes.
(First two photos show prototypes of UV Plastic Sheet covered vegetable gardens provided by Harbest Agri. Next two photos were provided by HVCDP office in Albay while the remaining photos were taken by Dianne Faith Garcia during the Biyaheng Bukid in Guinobatan, Albay on Monday.)
More Stories
After A Learning Tour,
Former NPA Area Pilots Village Nursery, Free-Range Chicken Breeding & Goat Upgrading Program!
‘Toro Sa Barangay’ Goat Upgrading Program Starts In Luz Village, Mlang!