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KIDAPAWAN CITY––Rice and corn farmers within the low-lying villages of Matalam city in Cotabato province have blamed the conversion of mountain slopes into banana farms for the latest floods that destroyed their crops.
Felomino Nonesa, a Barangay Sta. Maria councilman and the chair of its agriculture committee, famous that not too long ago, flooding incidents had turn into an everyday incidence of their village each time there may be rain.
That is uncommon and alarming, Nonesa stated. They used to expertise flooding solely as soon as, however lately they’d already recorded at the least 5 floods.
Nonesa’s committee investigated the Might 23 flash flood that broken some 50 hectares of rice fields and killed a number of livestock.
Nonesa stated the extent of harm may improve as solely 30 farmers had reported thus far.
The Matalam native authorities has deployed help packages to the affected farmers, primarily free seeds and fertilizers.
Sta. Maria serves because the catch basin for extra water from the three neighboring villages of Minamaing, Alimojan, and Taguranao.
And with the bushes on mountain slopes and hills giving option to planted bananas, the quantity of rain water draining there has elevated.
The siltation of rivers had additionally contributed to the flooding, Nonesa added.
Of their village alone, greater than 40 hectares of mountain slopes had been transformed into banana plantations that contributed to the flooding, Nonesa stated.
The identical pattern occurred in different villages, Nonesa added.
The Cotabato authorities is selling banana, and three different crops to be grown in its huge agricultural space. The opposite three are oil palm, coconut, and rubber.
Cotabato hosts round 15,000 hectares of banana farms, of which about 30 % are dedicated to rising the Cavendish selection for export.
Lakatan and cardava are the opposite main banana varieties grown within the province.
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