A week after the Tropical Depression Vicky hit Caraga Region which affected several livelihoods and sectors including agriculture, Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness Kristine Y. Evangelista visited the region to represent the Department of Agriculture in the Convergence of Inter-agency for Disaster Response, last December 28-30.

Together with Asec. Evangelista was Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo and OIC- Regional Technical Director for Operations Rebecca R. Atega, where they visited the Municipalities of Prosperidad, Bunawan, Rosario in Agusan del Sur, and Cabadbaran City in Agusan del Norte. All of the places mentioned were severely affected by TD Vicky last December 18.

Support services were directly handed over by the DA Officials to the Local Government Units (LGUs). Few of the assistance distributed include capitalization through the Enhanced Kadiwa Program,343 bags of Certified Seeds, and 25 boxes of Vegetable Seeds.

In her visit to the affected municipalities, Asec. Evangelista stressed the importance of engaging the farmers in marketing and entrepreneurial services to extend the profit they can gain from their agricultural products.

DA-AMAD through its Enhanced Kadiwa Financial Grant program aims to provide extra resources for farmers to buy materials and equipment and to help them market their goods directly to customers. The three types of the grant could be used to finance value adding activities such as procurement of produce, aggregation, and pre-processing; purchase of vehicle, equipment, and rehabilitation; procurement of store facility and its construction.

“The Enhanced Kadiwa Program will serve as an investment to create more agricultural businesses. For our LGUs, especially those who have been severely affected by typhoons, granting our farmers with this program may lessen the impacts of calamities so we should work together and help our farmers, we will be providing assistance through our enhanced kadiwa program,” she said in her message at Rosario, Agusan del Sur.

“Agriculture does not end with just planting, we have to craft businesses out from it. We have to invest in our agricultural local products so that we can gain profit even more,” Evangelista added.

RED Abel James I. Monteagudo, in his message at Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, reiterated that the Department of Agriculture will continue to serve its mandate, especially in times of disaster where the agriculture sector is one of the most vulnerable.

An estimated amount of P775,000 worth of rice, corn, and vegetable seeds have been distributed as an initial intervention for the inter-agency response to the affected areas. To recall, DA –Caraga set buffer stocks for distribution as a quick response intervention to the areas affected by TD Vicky, day after the consolidation of damages reported. This records a total of 4,000 rice seeds, 100 bags of OPV Corn, and 60 boxes of Vegetable Seeds.

Moreover, Asec. Evangelista toured the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) One-Stop Agribusiness Center (OSAC) and Kadiwani Ani at Kita booth at SM City Butuan, December 28. Evangelista also guested the DA-RAFIS Radio Program ‘BahandisaKaumahan’ at the DA-RAFIS Broadcast Studio, the same day.

Senator Bong Go alongside undersecretaries and assistant secretaries from DSWD, DTI, TESDA, and BFAR leads the inter-agency initiatives, distributing their assistance for the affected individuals. (Kent Warren H. Fugoso/DA-RAFIS13).