Bohol Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera believes there is a need for Boholano farmers to evaluate their crop preferences.
“They need to consider the impact of typhoons on their farms when choosing what to plant in their farms,†the vice governor noted.
Herrera, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) agriculture committee, said there has been a noted upsurge in typhoons in the country including “Lando†which struck the Visayas including Bohol.
He said that farmers are among those affected whenever a typhoon hits the province.
“Aside from damage to life and property, typhoons also destroy their farms,†the vice-governor noted.
Herrera said the frequency of typhoon occurrences has opened the need to study what plants are more resistant.
“There are plants that are easily destroyed and which cause heavy losses to the farmers,†he noted.
The vice-governor said there is a need for agricultural experts particularly those in government agencies to identify which plants can withstand weaker typhoons.
He added that if farmers switch to these plants, there is a bigger possibility that they will not incur heavy losses even during the typhoon season.
“It may not yield as much as their favorite cash crops but they also have better chances of recovering,†Herrera noted.
The vice-governor said plants with lower yield but with better chances of survival is still good economics compared to plants that bring more profits but with smaller chances of surviving typhoons.
“We cannot stop the typhoons just because we plant higher yielding crops,†he added.
In the end however, Herrera said it is all up to the farmers to choose the plants that they prefer.
“We cannot dictate on them because it is their prerogative and because it is their business,†he added.
Herrera said the important thing is for agriculture personnel to be ready to present farmers with alternatives in case they want to try other options.
He said the devastation from typhoons should be an eye-opener for people in the agriculture sector “to prepare for the worstâ€.
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