SRA: Block farming makakatulong sa produksyon ng asukal ngaung El Niño
Layon ng Sugar Regulatory Administration na mas maparami pa ang block farms sa bansa, bagay na makatutulong din para madagdagan ang produksyon ng asukal sa gitna ng El Niño.
Mga magsasakang may hindi hihigit sa dalawang ektarya ng lupa na bumubuo raw sa 85% hanggang 88% ng mga magtutubo ang benepisyaryo ng programa. Pero nasa 20 hanggang 30 block farms lang daw kada taon ang kayang pondohan ng SRA sa ngayon.
May binisitang block farms si Currie Cator sa Negros Occidental.
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Mga magsasakang may hindi hihigit sa dalawang ektarya ng lupa na bumubuo raw sa 85% hanggang 88% ng mga magtutubo ang benepisyaryo ng programa. Pero nasa 20 hanggang 30 block farms lang daw kada taon ang kayang pondohan ng SRA sa ngayon.
May binisitang block farms si Currie Cator sa Negros Occidental.
Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/
Follow our social media pages:
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NewsTranscript
00:00 In 2016, Jocel's family started block farming in La Castellana, Negros Occidental.
00:08 In total, 45 hectares of land was collected by their group of farmers.
00:15 Since then, they have been saving in expenses of around 60,000 pesos per hectare.
00:21 If you are an individual, it is hard to get a farm expense. But if you are a block farm, you can get a loan.
00:32 The interest is small because you are a collective, you are a whole.
00:39 Aside from the start-up capital, they are also given farm inputs and machinery, like a tractor.
00:47 If you use a tractor like this, you will not only speed up the work, but also improve and increase production.
00:55 Things that farmers need, they can get for free through block farming.
01:01 For example, in land preparation, if you are a worker, you can plow the land.
01:14 Modern workers are also needed because if you are a worker, you can work for a few days.
01:21 According to the Sugar Regulatory Administration, 850 kilograms of sugar will be added to the production in block farming.
01:30 Equivalent to an additional 42,500 pesos in the income of those who will grow per hectare, or 1.3 million pesos in a whole block farm.
01:41 SRA Administrator Pablo Azcona pointed out its importance during the El Niño period
01:47 when it is possible to reduce production by up to 15% or one and a half months of sugar supply.
01:54 If it's severe, it's very worrisome for us because what you are thinking there, your growing cane,
02:03 you still have a sugar cane that grew in November to January, you will harvest it in March.
02:09 So that's what we will be affected, that's where we will drop.
02:12 There is a huge need in organizing block farms.
02:15 SRA also pushes for an additional fund for the program.
02:19 For now, they only have 150 million pesos for 30 block farms in a 1 billion peso budget per year.
02:28 The block farm budget is about 4 to 5 million per block farm.
02:31 That includes startup capital and equipment.
02:34 If the budget doubles, then the number of block farms that we can do in one year will double.
02:39 Jocelle says if block farming becomes stronger, they will be able to continue growing cane.
02:48 If we are all individuals now, we are all in debt, we don't have land anymore.
02:53 It's in others' hands because you can't get your expenses anymore.
02:59 The solution is to sell the land.
03:03 As for the farmers, SRA also says that drought resistant varieties and micro irrigation systems will be distributed to the farmers.
03:12 Kari Kator, CNN Philippines, Negros Occidental.