Time running out to help rice farmers in areas of the Philippines devastated by typhoon Haiyan

Millions of people in the Philippines will go hungry in the coming months if rice farmers don’t receive urgent assistance after typhoon Haiyan wiped out a third of the countries rice growing areas, Oxfam warns today.

Rice crops harvests in the five regions most affected by the disaster have been decimated and missing the next rice planting season in December would leave millions of Filipinos without their staple food for daily consumption as well as a huge loss of income and increased debt for farmers.

Oxfam’s Country Director in the Philippines Justin Morgan said: “Time is fast running out to get the assistance to poor farmers they so urgently need. They must meet the deadline for the planting season in December if they are to start to recover from the typhoon.

“Failing to immediately provide seeds, fertilizer and tools will put millions of people at risk of severe hunger in the coming months, compounding the impact of the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan.”

Typhoon Haiyan hit the country just as farmers were harvesting the main season paddy crop representing over fifty percent of the annual production.

International help needed

Oxfam is calling on international donors to urgently help fill the funding gap for the agricultural part of the UN Haiyan Action Plan which is currently severely underfunded at less than 9 percent (OCHA 19th November).

In the short term the Philippines National Food Authority (NFA) must also deliver rice from local harvests in areas of the country unaffected by the disaster to those in need and make sure farmers are receiving support to enable them to diversify the types of crops they can grow.

The National Rice Farmers council spokesperson Jaime Tadeo said: “Farmers need help to recover from the devastation of their farms and livelihoods including locally adapted seeds, vegetables and other crops to diversify their sources of income.”

Oxfam is there

Justin Morgan said: “Aid Agencies on the ground are providing as much support to farmers at this crucial time as possible. Oxfam teams are working in Samar and Leyte, two key rice producing areas, supporting farmers in clearing and restoring farm production areas.”

“It is, however, essential for international donors to give more money for agriculture support right now so that farmers can plant more rice, diversify their crops and repair key infrastructure and therefore prevent an even greater food emergency down the line.”