ICRC provides agriculture aid
COTABATO CITY — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has equipped 107 marginalized families in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte, with post-harvest facilities to enhance their agricultural productivity, which has been adversely affected by armed conflicts in their villages.
Local officials in Cabadbaran City and Agusan del Norte province confirmed that the recipients of the ICRC’s corn sheller and corn mill machinery are residents caught up in deadly clashes between state forces and the New People’s Army (NPA) in recent months.
Rachel T. Malaguit, ICRC’s press relations officer in the country, said on Monday that among those who got post-harvest facilities, placed inside a newly constructed shelter, were residents of Sitio Lusong in Barangay Puting Bato.
Earlier, over 100 of these families received the necessary training from ICRC experts and local government agriculturists.
The training covered inter-cropping, hillside farming, plant contouring techniques, and crop post-harvest management.
“Armed conflicts cause severe consequences for civilians, such as the loss of jobs and livelihood. We hope that this farm equipment will have a positive impact on the lives of the people and pave the way for them to have a brighter future,” said Ishfaq Muhammad Khan, a senior ICRC official in the Philippines.
Ms. Malaguit added that the local governments of Cabadbaran City and Agusan del Norte played a crucial role in facilitating the distribution of the farm equipment to villagers. — John Felix M. Unson