Abaca and cotton farmers in Negros Oriental have received about P4 million worth of financial assistance for expansion and development projects from the Department of Agriculture and Fiber Industry Development Authority in a ceremony during a Farmers Forum in Dumaguete City.
Agriculture Sec. William Dar, together with FIDA-7 Regional Director Benjamon Gomo turned over the checks to the Pederasyon sa Nagkahugpong ng mga Mag-uuma nga Nanalipod ug Nagpasig-uli sa Kinaiyahaan and Nangka Famers Association.
The farmer group leaders, PNagMaNaK Director Apolinario Cariñom, and NAFA President Jose Gila accepted the checks worth P1,732,000 and P2 million, respectively.
The funding assistance given to PNagMaNaK is for the expansion of abaca plantations and rehabilitation of 150 hectares of abaca farms in the province, said Nena Locsin of FIDA Negros Oriental.
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Locsin said there is a need to increase production of abaca fiber to answer the growing demand for natural fiber in the local and international markets.
The huge volume of abaca fiber is now used for production of tea bags, security papers, print paper money, cards, handicrafts, and bank notes.
The P2 million fund for NAFA will be earmarked for cotton development for the more than 100 farmers from eight barangays in Bayawan City.
PNagMaNaK is composed of 17 federated farmer associations in the Province.
In the same event, coconut farmers also received cash incentives for planting coconut trees in their own farm under the participatory coconut planting project of the Philippine Coconut Authority.
However, according to Marita Somido, officer-in-charge of PCA here, the check varies in the amount depending on the number of coco seedlings they have planted.
Coco famers are paid P40 per seedling planted in their farm, said Somido.
Under the coconut seedlings dispersal project, PCA distributes good quality coconut seedling to farmers and partners like local government units.
With this, some 17 farmers from the municipality of Dauin town have availed of the high breed coco seedlings of which each is entitled to 72 seedlings equivalent to half a hectare of lot to be planted. (jct/PIA7 NegOr)