Japan extends P140-M Yolanda rehab grant

MANILA, Philippines - The Japanese government is extending a P140-million grant for the rehabilitation of agriculture and fisheries areas damaged by Typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas, the Department of Agriculture announced over the weekend.

Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) is made under its grant assistance program for underprivileged farmers.

The project would be implemented by the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) under the second phase of its AkBa, Agrikultura: Kaagapay ng Bayang Pinoy Program.

The rehabilitation work in Region 8 will focus on income-generating opportunities for farming and fishing communities in the region to help them re-establish their livelihood.

The rehabilitation program will be implemented for one year, reaching around 8, 500 farming and fishing families in Leyte, Eastern Samar, Biliran, and Western Samar.

Households covered by the program will receive in grant assistance, P15,000 worth of planting materials and fishing paraphernalia.

NAFC, in coordination with the DA office in Region 8 will also conduct capacity-building activities that will prepare the beneficiaries for livelihood projects provided under the program. These include basic project management, skills enhancement, technology and record-keeping.

Typhoon Yolanda, which battered the Visayas Region last Nov. 8, caused severe damage to various farm subsectors valued at P31.13 billion covering hundreds of thousands of cultivation areas.

The super typhoon caused severe damage to coconut, palay, and banana crops.

The damage caused by the typhoon on coconut plantations in Visayas is now being felt by coconut oil manufacturers and exporters who recently reported lower coconut oil shipments in February.