A two-day Diskwento Caravan of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental will help farmers and residents of mountain villages in Bayawan City get through the drought triggered by the El Niño phenomenon, an official said Thursday.

The caravan kicked off Thursday in Barangay Mandu-ao, Bayawan City, with nearby villages like San Jose and Villasol also benefiting from it, said DTI-Negros Oriental information and planning officer Krystle Jade Bato.

Bato said some 100 residents have already availed of the prime commodities and other essential goods sold at the caravan on the first day, such as sugar, rice, noodles and canned goods.

“The activity is timely because of the current extreme heat conditions in the province that have left many farmers reeling from the destruction of their crops,” she said.

While a concrete road can access the mountain village, it is situated deep into the mountains on the border of some Negros Occidental towns.

In a phone interview, Jevy Bianan, Mandu-ao village chief, said many of his constituents and even residents in adjacent areas are now grappling with the effects of El Niño, such as crop damage and minimal water supply.

“We are hoping for other government interventions apart from the Diskwento Caravan because our life is threatened by El Niño, which we were told will last until May or beyond,” he said in the dialect.

Joy Ann Milan, a villager, expressed gratitude for the Diskwento Caravan, saying it is not very often that government services are brought to their barangay.

“We are happy that we no longer need to spend money on delivery for our needs. The items sold are of good quality and low price,” Milan said.

Barangay Mandu-ao is roughly 52 kilometers from Bayawan proper, a city more than 100 kilometers south of this capital. (PNA)