Google – AFP, Martin Abbugao (AFP), 22 November 2013
 |
In this
photo taken on November 19, 2013 shows the barge which was washed
ashore
amongst coconut tress at the height of super Typhoon Haiyan in Quinapundan
town,
Eastern Samar province, central Philippines (AFP/File, Ted Aljibe)
|
Burawin —
The super typhoon that slammed through the central Philippines laid waste to a
vast region of coconut farmland, eradicating in one fell swoop the livelihoods
of tens of thousands of smallholders.
"It's
all gone," Glen Mendoza said, gesturing towards the collection of snapped
and toppled trees that used to be the small but reliable grove that fed and
supported his family.
"My
daughter might have to stop going to college," he said. "These
coconut trees are our only hope and now they're gone."
Mendoza's
plight is shared, not just by the farmers in his coconut-growing town of
Burawin, but by tens of thousands of others across the island of Leyte.
A major
coconut-growing province, Leyte accounts for one third of all the fruit
produced in the fertile centre of the country, according to the Philippine
Coconut Authority (PCA).
The
particular problem facing farmers like Mendoza is that there is no short-term
solution to the loss of their groves.
Replanting
can begin very soon but, depending on the variety, coconut trees take between
five and ten years to reach maturity and bear fruit.
More than
208,000 hectares (515,000 acres) are planted with over 22 million trees in
Leyte, providing a living for 122,000 families, or around 600,000 people, said
Joel Pilapil, a senior PCA official in the province.
There are
no firm estimates yet on the full extent of the damage, but ground reports and
aerial views of Leyte and nearby Samar island tell the same story -- coconut
trees either toppled, snapped or sheared when Typhoon Haiyan scythed across the
region on November 8, packing winds of up to 315 kilometres (195 miles) per
hour.
"I've
spent 21 years in the industry and this is the first time that the damage has
been this heavy," Pilapil told AFP in an interview at the PCA's
typhoon-damaged building in the town of Palo.
"It
hurts... Coconut farming families are going to go hungry," he said
Cipriano
Alibay, 73, a farmer in Dagami town near Burawin, used to harvest 3,000
coconuts every three months from his now destroyed two-hectare smallholding.
"My
investment is gone. I don't know what to do," he said.
According
to Pilapil, the government is ready to provide free seedlings, but the ground
must first be cleared of thousands of toppled trees, ruined buildings and other
debris.
Trees that
are still standing but have no hope of bearing fruit need to be cut down, he
said, adding that the clearing operations could take months.
Pilapil
said some of the felled trees could provide timber for rebuilding houses
destroyed by the typhoon.
As well as
the farmers, many others relied on the coconut industry, including Rodolfo
Ortega, 54, who buys dried coconut meat -- called copra -- from farmers and
sells it to millers.
Copra
extracts can be used in a variety of products, including soap and shampoo.
"It
will probably take 10 years before coconut farmers can get on their feet,"
Ortega told AFP as he and a few of his workers stood idly outside his warehouse
in the town of Dagami.
He warned
that with so many people dependent on the industry, the government must act
fast to prevent social consequences.
"If
people have no jobs, that can create social problems," Ortega said, adding
that the government should teach farmers to plant alternative crops while they
wait for the seedlings to grow.
For coconut
farmer Alibay, there is no choice but to keep going.
"We
need to be strong in order to go on living," he said.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment