Pampanga Farmers to Receive P1.75M in Calamity Loans

THE Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) is set to distribute P1.75 million worth of calamity loans to farmers in Pampanga affected by flooding caused by the recent tropical cyclones and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat). In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the council launched its Agri-Recover program in Angeles City, Pampanga on Monday, providing P35,000 each to affected farmers in the province, with 50 farmers receiving the loan on the day of its launch. The rollout of the program follows widespread flooding caused by Tropical Cyclones Luis, Maymay, Neneng, and Pilandok, as well as the monsoon. According to final estimates by the DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center, the four storms and the monsoon caused P4.38 billion in agricultural and fisheries damage, affecting 99,663 farmers and fisherfolk and 81,511 hectares of agricultural land. Another launch of the program is set to be held in Pangasinan on Oct. 16, with the ACPC planning to roll out the program in other areas declared under state of calamity due to the storms and the monsoon, subject to validation of affected farmers, financing demand, and readiness for local implementation. Among these areas include Bataan, Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Tarlac, Zambales, and parts of Occidental Mindoro. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. highlighted the need for speedy financial aid to farmers and fisherfolk, saying farmers need working capital to rehabilitate damaged farms and resume production before the next planting cycle. “When farmers can borrow quickly to rehabilitate their farms, they can plant again sooner, recover their income faster and help keep food moving to consumers,” Mr. Laurel said in a statement. “Helping farmers recover quickly is also an investment in food security,” he added. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza