Banaybanay in Davao Oriental placed under state of emergency; residents urged to plant veggies
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / April 11) — Banaybanay town in Davao Oriental has been declared under a state of emergency on Thursday, with the local government calling on residents to plant vegetables in their yards to save on food expenses.
Banaybanay, known as the “Rice Granary” of the province, has long supplied Davao region with rice, particularly its well-known 7-tonner variety.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Mayor Lemuel Larcia said the declaration aims to ensure food security amid the rising fuel prices brought about by the ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East.
The increase in fuel prices has caused a spike in the cost of basic goods as well as transport across the country.
Larcia urged every household to begin planting vegetables in their backyards to help reduce daily food expenses.
He also advised residents to refrain from unnecessary travel and avoid purchasing non-essential goods to save money.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported on April 1 that, based on its March inventory, the country’s rice supply declined compared to February levels.
Rice stocks fell by 11.1 percent from the previous month’s inventory of 2.11 million metric tons.
Of the total rice stocks recorded in March, 48.4 percent were held by households, 30.1 percent by the commercial sector, and 21.5 percent by National Food Authority depositories.
Despite the month-on-month decline, current rice stocks remain higher than in the same period last year, when inventories stood at 1.61 million metric tons.
DA XI said that in 2020, areas planted to rice in the region reached 58,000 hectares.
In 2025, rice areas in the region increased to 111,456 hectares with a total output of 523,000 metric tons, which was 2.66% of the national production. (Razl EJ Teman/MindaNews)
No comments:
Post a Comment