FAO readies $5M aid for fisheries sector

The Food and Agriculture Organization is calling on international donors to raise an initial $5 million that would be used to provide help to fishing communities, which are considered in greatest need of help after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” ravaged their livelihood.

Jim Hancock, programming officer at the FAO’s Philippine office, said in an interview Thursday the amount is part of a bigger appeal for aid that the United Nations agency is preparing.

But while the comprehensive call for help in post-Yolanda rehabilitation covers all agriculture subsectors, the FAO is already broadcasting the portion of the appeal that relates to coastal communities.

“Unlike farmers who raise crops and livestock, fishing communities have no other resources they can turn to while their main activity is not yet restored,” Hancock said. “So the help for [fisherfolk] is most urgent.”

In a statement sent out from its headquarters in Rome, the FAO called for “prompt and sustainable actions to help rebuild livelihoods” of Filipino fishers amid “immense damage to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.”

“Even though we still only have a partial picture, it is clear that the damage caused to the fisheries sector is immense and spans the entire value chain, from catch to market,” said Rodrigue Vinet, acting FAO Philippine representative.