MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, April 01 (PIA) --- The National Power Corporation (NPC) through its Watershed Management Division-Mindanao Generation (WMD-MinGen) has forged an agreement with qualified farmers within the watershed area in the two Lanao provinces.
Both parties have recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the protection and rehabilitation of the Lake Lanao Watershed by engaging into a Family Approach Contract for Reforestation (FACR) and Agroforestry.
Under the contract, the NPC will afford the qualified farmers with planting materials and labor costs for the establishment and maintenance of their forest or fruit tree plantation for a period of three (3) years subject for extension when warranted because of climatic conditions.
Mama D. Manonguiring, WMD-MinGen Manager, said the maximum area of land the qualified farmer could avail to develop is 10 (ten) hectares while the minimum area is 1 (one) hectare.
He said the total contract cost for the reforestation plantation is P35,641.96 per hectare while the agroforestry plantation costs P19,237.50 per hectare.
Their agreement provides that no advance payment or mobilization fee will be granted to the farmers since performance and services rendered by them shall be paid in accordance with a specified payment schedule.
Furthermore, subcontracting any portion of the scope of work will not also be allowed.
Manonguiring said they will be conducting monitoring and inspection every three (3) months and payments will be made only if the site preparation, planting, and maintenance pass is satisfactorily completed with at least 90% survival rate.
In case the survival rate is below 90%, the farmer shall shoulder the cost of seedling for the replacement of the seedling requirement to maintain the 90% allowed level of survival including the cost of labor for replacing, he added.
He also urged the qualified farmers to religiously adhere to the agreement citing that the assistance project is being implemented only in the two Lanao provinces and Bukidnon.
He likewise sought the support of all the residents in the area to help them save the Lake Lanao-Agus River watershed area. (APB/PIA-10 Marawi)
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