Oxfam tells govt to help farmers, fishermen in 'Yolanda' areas

MANILA, Philippines - International humanitarian group Oxfam has urged the government to provide adequate assistance to agricultural workers affected by typhoon “Yolanda,” saying failure to do so would lead to loss of livelihood.

Oxfam said the poorest coconut farmers, traders and fisher folk should not be left out in the recovery efforts.

“Poor coconut farmers and fishers affected by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ (known internationally as ‘Haiyan’) are in danger of becoming even poorer and at greater risk to disaster if the Philippine government fails to put them at the heart of its reconstruction plan,” the group said in a statement.

“Yolanda” struck several provinces in Visayas last November, leaving more than 6,200 persons dead and more than P36-billion worth of properties.

The government is now crafting a plan to help residents affected by the typhoon, which critics said, exposed the gaps in the government’s disaster preparedness plans.

Economic managers previously said the recovery and reconstruction activities in typhoon-hit areas would require P361 billion in investments.

Oxfam said 60 percent of small-scale coconut farmers who lived in poverty before the typhoon ravaged the country are now surviving on food aid or cash support.

“Millions of people are hanging in the balance, unsure how they will survive for the coming months and years,” said Justin Morgan, Oxfam’s Country Director in the Philippines.

“Coconut farmers and traders are integral to one of the Philippines' most profitable industries and yet they are being left out of the recovery effort. Without cash support and income options, hundreds of thousands of productive and skilled workers will be out of work for years to come.”

Oxfam said coconut and farm workers had earned an average of $1 a day before “Yolanda” pummeled the country.

Citing figures from the Philippine Coconut Authority, the group said about 33-million coconut trees in 295,191 hectares of land have been damaged in Eastern Visayas, the region worst hit by the typhoon.

Oxfam said farmers are facing years of lost income and are in a race against time to clear the land of fallen trees before they rot in three months' time. It noted that sawdust and rotting wood are breeding grounds for pests that could infest the few trees that remain standing unless the land is cleared for replanting.

The Philippine government, Oxfam said, has been slow to deliver the agricultural and reconstruction support it has promised.

“Fast delivery of emergency relief by the international community in the first three months has prevented widespread hunger and outbreaks of disease. But unless the government steps in to provide the poorest farmers and fishers with real practical help, all the gains made so far could be lost,” Morgan said.

Oxfam, the Fair Trade Alliance, and the NGOs for Fisheries Reform have recently released reports recommending measures that seek to break the cycle of poverty for farmers and fishers.

The groups called on the government provide guidance on how cost and proceeds should be shared between landowners and tenant-farmers; fast-track distribution of equipment, fuel and training to support coconut-lumber clearing; fast-track land acquisition and distribution of coconut lands in affected regions as mandated by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program; and ensure that small-scale coconut farmers are adequately represented in rehabilitation efforts.

They also cited the need to provide fishermen boats, fishing equipment and facilities for drying, processing, storing fish, and for aquaculture; enforce a resettlement strategy that provides housing and livelihood access for fisher folk; and ensure government agencies have undertaken thorough resource and livelihoods assessments. – Alexis Romero