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09 – 10 March 2014, Barangay Can-Abay, Municipality of Basay, Samar Island, Visayas Region, Philippines – The FAO Director-General Jose’ Graziano da Silva visited Tacloban and surrounding areas four months after typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) struck the central Philippines. Interacting with FAO supported small-scale fishers and farmers over lunch, he visited their rice fields, and was accompanied by Proceso Alcala, the Secretary of the Philippine Department of Agriculture. To date, with generous support from Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, FAO has delivered critical rice seed packages to around 44 000 affected farmers in time for the December/January planting season. More than 1,800 tonnes of certified quality rice seed are being delivered along with fertilizer and farming tools. By March/April 2014 this should yield enough to feed around 800 000 people for a year, worth USD 84 million in rice.

Photo credit must be given: ©FAO photo. Editorial use only. Copyright ©FAO/James Belgrave

For more information on FAO’s response to typhoon Haiyan please visit: http://www.fao.org/emergencies/crisis/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/