Kidapawan City dad mulls filing ordinance putting city under state of calamity

KIDAPAWAN CITY - A city councilor here is contemplating of filing a resolution putting the city under state of calamity due to the extend of damages to agricultural products due to the long dry spell. Councilor Mario Flores, chair of the Sangguniang Panglungsod committee on agriculture, said the drought which started to hit Kidapawan City and the province in January has already damaged about P44 million worth of crops in the city's 40 villages.Flores said severely affected are banana, palay and corn. In the village of Labuo, President Roxas, North Cotabato, farmers have felt the effects of dry spell on agricultural products, especially banana.Village chair Eusebio Madriaga said vast bananaplantations, sugarcane, corn and rice fields have dried up. These plantations are rain-fed and no heavy downpour have reached this part of the province for a long time.Madriaga said a sugarcane plantation was damaged whena grass fire hit the village last week. The latest report from the provincial agriculture office showed the dry spell has already damaged about P68 million worth of various crops.