En million småbønder mistede deres indkomstgrundlag da tyfonen i november fældede deres kokospalmer. Det tager 6-8 år for nye træer at vokse til, rapporterer FAO fra et af de hårdest ramte områder.
TACLOBAN, 27 January 2014 (FAO): Coconut farmers in the Philippines are in urgent need of assistance to recover their livelihoods nearly three months after Typhoon Haiyan tore through the country, FAO warned Monday.
The typhoon flattened millions of trees when it made landfall in November and the country’s second largest coconut-producing region, Eastern Visayas, was one of the areas most affected.
In this region alone some 33 million coconut trees were damaged or destroyed and more than a million coconut farmers impacted (ramt). The Philippine Coconut Authority has estimated losses at 396 million US dollar.
Der plantes nye træer
“Coconut farmers are replanting, but what makes the situation so dire (grum) is that newly planted trees take between six to eight years to reach maturity and return to full production,” said Rajendra Aryal, acting FAO Representative in the Philippines.
“It is critical to develop alternative income sources for these small-scale farmers until their coconut trees become productive again. Crop diversification and intercropping can provide key access to income and restore self-sufficiency, building the resilience (styrke) of communities to withstand future disasters.”
Coconuts are one of the most important crops in the Philippines. The country is the second largest coconut producer in the world, accounting for 26.6% of global production.
The devastation created knock-on effects along the entire value chain, affecting people who were engaged both directly and indirectly – from farm owners, workers and traders to those involved in transport and logistics.
Op til 120% renter på lån
“Coconut farming is my main source of income, and when the typhoon hit I lost all my trees,” said Domingo Brivia, a small-scale coconut farmer from Barangay Tacurana, on Leyte island, Eastern Visayas.
“If I don’t get some kind of support soon I’ll have to borrow money, but the interest rates (renter) are so high that I’m scared,” he added.
Brivia and other farmers like him face interest rates as high as 120% if they resort to borrowing. As land-poor tenants having lost whatever possessions they had, they cannot resort to selling their assets to survive.
Samarbejde om genopbygningsplan
FAO is working closely with the Philippine Coconut Authority, humanitarian partners and local organizations to develop a recovery plan for the sector in Eastern Visayas.
This will include clearing felled trees through coordinated cash-for-work programmes, introducing crops that can be grown alongside replanted coconut trees, and providing alternative livelihoods for affected coconut farmers.
Læs hele artiklen på:
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/212957/icode/
