Watermelon farmers who were affected by Severe Tropical Storm Crising (international name Wipha) in Barangay Casilian in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, on Thursday received assistance from the provincial government.
The assistance was in the form of PHP360,000 worth of hybrid watermelon seeds, foliar fertilizers, and herbicides handed to the farmers by Ilocos Norte Governor Cecilia Araneta Marcos.
“A heartfelt thank you for your love and support during this difficult time, Governor Cecilia Marcos, Mayor Nico [dela Cruz Jr.], the Ilocos Norte government, and other agencies extending support,” the Zanjera Casilian Irrigators Association Inc., led by Fredie Marc Bagaoisan, said in a statement.
Marcos personally delivered the items to the farmers to check on their situation and the damaged farmlands on Thursday.
According to the affected farmers, they could have hit another record-breaking profit just like in their previous harvest if not for the rains brought by Crising, which damaged their 15-hectare clustered watermelon plantation.
Based on the initial assessment of the Provincial Agriculture Office, watermelon farmers in Bacarra incurred PHP3 million in losses due to Crising.
The Zanjera Casilian Irrigators Association Inc., which has 93 farmer-members, is among the active clustered farmer organizations in the province that is being regularly provided with agricultural inputs and farm machinery by the provincial government and other support agencies such as the Department of Agriculture.
In May this year, watermelon farmers in Bacarra received hybrid and open-pollinated seeds, plastic mulch, seedling trays, foliar fertilizers, and inorganic fertilizers, as part of the continuing effort of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration to improve the efficiency and productivity of local farmers.
This resulted in a combined net profit of PHP9 million for the Zanjera Casilian Irrigators Association Inc., about two months after they planted high-yielding watermelon varieties on a 50-hectare clustered farm. (PNA)