DA-RFO8 receives seed aid, targets far-flung uplands

Tacloban City, Philippines – To widen the reach of assistance for the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in eastern Visayas, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 8 (DA-RF08), will distribute recently acquired vegetable seed donations to remote and upland communities where access to interventions of the government and the private sector has been limited.

Eight months after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated the eastern Visayas region, the agency continues to receive support and assistance intended for affected farmers from different private organizations.

Among the recent donors is Harbest Agribusiness Corp. which turned over more than 4,000 packs of vegetable seeds during a courtesy call at the DA Regional Office in Tacloban City.

The donations were received by DA-8 regional executive director Bernadette F. San Juan and High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) coordinator Larry U. Sultan.

Evelyn M. Gamboa of the Harbest Corp. said that part of the donations was provided by their partner, the Known You Seeds Philippines Inc.

She added that they hope the assistance could help small farmers affected by the typhoon recover by planting short-cycled crops.

The seeds provided include eggplant, squash, kangkong, okra, sponge gourd, snap beans, asparagus bean, balsam pear and cucumber.

“We are thankful for the effort of Harbest and other organizations in providing support and assistance to farmers in the region severely affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda,” San Juan said.

She highlighted the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector in beefing up support to affected farmers in the region.

“In partnership with Harbest and other organizations, we were able to establish vegetable production sites and offered technical assistance to farmers, building their resilience and capacity in restoring their livelihood,” she added.

Meanwhile, to further support the farmers in the region in improving their productivity and income,  San Juan said that through its Marketing Assistance Division, DA would organize a weekly tabo (market day) in the office where local farmers could  converge to sell their fresh produce.